Into The Night
by G4rrusVakarian
Summary: Hiccup and Toothless find themselves run out of Berk. They find themselves on an island that very little lives on. Some twists and turns along the way. Rated M for future Toothcup smexy times
1. The Monster

The Monster

On an island

Unable to be reached

By ones common mind

Lived a man.

Now this man

Didn't live with anyone else

But, he did live with something else

A monster.

That's what "they" called it

A being so dark even the moon feared it

They called it the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself.

But the man called him Toothless.

Now the man wasn't your "typical" person

He had a gift

Now, the gift wasn't strength, or charisma

Nothing, as common as that

No, that would be too easy

And he definitely wouldn't be where he is today

No, this man could train dragons

But he made a mistake.

The man trusted too much

When she ran back to the village

Screaming for the chief

He knew his heart had betrayed him

He hadn't realized that, that love was fleeting

So quickly that he couldn't see it coming

He has now realized that, his heart only betrayed him once.

He smiled happily knowing the fact.

He watched as his real love

Jump into a large patch of dragon nip

Ones eyes caught the others

The pleading eyes so green they mimicked emeralds.

The man smiled a wide grin

At The Monster

It still pleaded for his mate to join him

The man jumped for his friend and lover.

Only to be interrupted mid way through

The Monster now stood guard

The man hadn't heard or seen anything

But now he could smell it; smoke.

The man got from underneath

Just to see torches in the dying day

He commanded The Monster to run

To the cot that he'd built for them

All too soon a voice that cracked like thunder

Called his name; Hiccup

O' how the man hated that name

Given to the smallest of a group, the runt.

The man didn't respond to that name

Not after being banished.

No proper viking makes friends with a dragon

He'd said.

When the voice roared again

The man steeled himself

When he stepped out, he asked what they wanted

The Monster was nowhere to be seen.

The voice told the man that they'd come for him

But the him, wasn't the man

Though he chuckled and all but broke into a laugh

His father grimaced at the act.

You know you can't have him, the man said

I'm not here to be given, I intend to take him, his father replied

He's gone, No proper dragon befriends a viking, father

You lie, his father screamed.

You wouldn't let that devil leave, the chief sneered

You caught me, the man said

He let out a smile, then a whistle

The man heard a small whine come from the cot.

The horizon took its last sip of the sun

as it gave birth to the moon

The only light from the sputtering torches.

The moon reared its ugly head over the hill.

Another whistle from the man

This time The Monster showed

Its scales lightly reflecting the night

It came up under the man's hand.

It didn't move or make a sound

It had something in its mouth

The man held out his hand

The Monster gave the heavenly sword to him

The man held it in front of himself

Not at the others

But at the ground, its point gently placed in the dirt

It's handle pushed by the palm of his hand.

The sword was unique

So sharp that it could cut through the stone the others used

The middle was hallow, only a few beams ran through it

On a moments notice it could be set ablaze.

The men stood

One calm

One with anger riddling his body

The calm one began to laugh.

What's the problem father,

Can't strike down you own son?

Or is it fear, fear of being struck down

by the one you've come to kill?

The Monster snorted

In one blink the eyes changed

Slits so fine, you can barely see them

Against the forest that was The Monster's eyes.

As The Monster stood

The sound of people gripping their weapons

Could be heard all the way down the hill

The man smiled again.

That meant the entire village was there

Where were the other teens his age?

They were surely old enough to go on raids

Weren't they.

The man asked

The chief growled at him

But just as the man predicted

The others stepped from behind the wall.

The man chuckled

They looked so cute in their raid gear

You still torture those dragons, the man asked

Tortured, Ha they deserve it, Snotlout screamed.

He only chuckled again

Idiots listen up! The man yelled

You have made a powerful enemy

All because of her; the man said with a toxic tone.

We could have kept it a secret

But because of your actions

Berk. Will. Be. Razed. To. The. Ground.

I Promise.

Let's go bud, the man began to walk away

Where do you think you're going? Boomed behind them

The man stopped but only for a second

"You'll never catch us, I wouldn't even bother."

The next second, the cot caught flame

The blue bolt struck so perfectly along the side

They only watched as the two black figures walked away

Until they blended into the night.


	2. The Night Berk Fell

No more than a year later

The promise that the man made was fulfilled

Berk would fall

The night was perfect

No clouds

A full moon

Calm seas

The man and the monster landed

They stopped in the cove

Where this all started

Where they started

The man sighed

A mix of happy and sad

That place always made them smile

They made a fire

Tonight was the night Berk fell

The man wasn't happy

The Monster cooed to the man

It mad the man smile

"Thanks Bud"

He grabbed the dragons head

The boy kissed The Monster

It nuzzled him

"Toothless listen

Tonight

Were not Toothless and Hiccup

We have to be The Monster and The Man"

The Monster huffed

Smoke poured from its nostrils

"Listen Bud

I'm going to give them one more chance."

The Monster nodded

He knew

The Man desperately wanted them to change

Only if they listened

Idiots

Soon others began to land

The last year

They flew island to island

making new friends

The Monster helped

Well respected amongst the others

They greeted their new friends

So many types

Many came

couldn't fit inside the cove

They started landing outside

peering in

The Man got their attention

He started his speech

The Monster stood near

The Man thanked them

He told them

How much he appreciated this

He told them about his plan

To give them one more chance

They all growled

The confirmation he wanted

He smiled at his army

The Man thanked them

"Let's go bud"

The Monster complied

The Man jumped on patting the dragon's head

Ready to go

They flew slowly

Enjoying their last flight

Before a possible war

The Man spotted the village

The man looked behind him

Tailed by his army

Hundreds strong

If not thousands

They landed

The villagers gasped and ran for their weapons

Under a minute the army came down

On houses, posts, roaring and snapping at the villagers

No time passed as Stoick ran

Not away

Towards where the people said

The Man was

His shoulders heaved

As he stopped in front of The Man and Monster

Fear baked into his eyes

Unable to vocalize

His own son scared him

Stoick the Rock, Stoick the Vast, the Unshakable

People would call him that

His son's confidence scared him

"Father!"

Stoick's ears rung, hearing the voice

"I'll give you one more chance

Please listen."

A Nightmare and  
And a Snaptrapper

Began to fight

The Monster roared

The two instantly stopped

"Thanks Bud"

Bubbled The boy

He scratched the dragon's neck

The scratch made him purr

The villagers had never heard a dragon

Purr

It threw them off guard

"How did you do that?"

"You never gave them a chance

They're not Monsters

Their smart and lovable."

Hiccup bumped his shoulder into his love

Claimed

By The Monster

"Vikings don't just change

Hiccup."

"But you have too

Father."

"I can't believe this

But can I touch

Him?"

The Monster

The Monster snarled

"No

He won't allow that

Neither will I

But let's see."

The man walked

looking for something

Then he found it; a Rumblehorn

The Man touched it

Asking it to follow

It complied

It trusted The Man; his friend

The Man faced his father again

"I'll allow you to touch this one

But no weapons

And no sudden movements."

Stoick dropped his hammer

Slowly moving towards the mountain called dragon

The Monster eyed The Man

The Man smiled to The Monster

"Finally they may change

It only took impending death."

He whispered to The Dragon

The chief stuck out his hand

Inches away from the mountain

Eyes down not wanting to scare it

The same way The Man did The Monster

The Man nodded to the mountain

It moved, connecting man and beast

The chief slowly looked up

He couldn't believe he wasn't dead

The Chief looked to The Man

Who only smiled in response

The Monster cooed at The Man

"We did it Bud."


	3. The One Night War

The alarm rang through the village. Repurposed for normal invasions instead of dragon attacks. _Only the truly insane pillage Berk anymore._

A lot has changed since that fateful day seven years ago. A dragon took a human mate, and vise versa. Said dragon killed the mates father. Not of his own free will. They got passed it knowing that it wasn't dragon's fault. They were never the same but it seemed that it brought them closer together somehow. A loss of a father and the gaining of a chief. The loss of a friend and the gaining of an alpha. The loss of friendship and the gaining of a lover and mate. The new chief's mother leaving again. Said she didn't belong there, and not to stop her and that they knew where to her if they needed anything.

Hiccup was awoken by the sound of the horn being blown. His mate, Toothless already awake, running around the room at the sound. Hiccup immediately jumped to his foot, grabbing the other leaning against the night stand. He looked around for his clothes and armour. The sound of thundering footsteps and people yelling just outside his house forced him to move faster. Reaching for his sword, they made their way down the steep stairs to the main level of the house.

A loud pounding made the door shake on its hinges. They opened it revealing Astrid. "Astrid, what's going on?' Hiccup asked calmly. watching people running past the house and to the near by beach under the cliffs. Astrid was frantic. "It's Dagur. He's attacking the island." Her voice becoming hysterical. Hiccup sighed. "Of course it's Dagur. Great. Astrid gather the other riders and get them into position. This ends tonight." He smiled to her, reassuring her that everything was going to be fine.

Astrid ran off as they stepped outside. The village was lit ablaze with torches everywhere. They took in the sight having never seen it before. Normally there are very few lit torches at night, so seeing that entire village lit by fire was interesting. Another group of weapon wielding Vikings passed them running to the beach, same as the others. Hiccup turned to face his companion. "Alright Bud, listen. Tonight we're not Toothless and Hiccup. Tonight we're The Chief of Berk and The Alpha Dragon. This has to end right now or I fear that more people will get hurt. There are no restrictions tonight. If we have to kill, then we will. If we don't, we won't." A look of understanding between the two. " Let's go. Toothless, stay close but try to stay hidden. I don't want you get hurt if this falls apart." the dragon's eyes turned into slits, growling at Hiccup. " I know Bud. You don't want me hurt either, but I trust that you won't allow that, no matter what I say."

They made their way down to the beach. Upon arriving there was the sight of a small army grouped on the beach, with rows and rows of ships landed there. With more coming in by the minute. The Berk villagers hiding behind trees and large rocks, ready to spring at the command of the chief. They met up with Astrid who was telling a few villagers were to hide. She dismissed them as Hiccup walked up nodding to the group as he passed them. "Astrid is everyone in position?" She nodded. "Good, you ready to end this?" She nodded again, a sad look on her face. "Astrid, what's wrong?" Now concerned about his closest human friend and second in command.

"I just thought I'd never see this."

"What? You never thought you'd see Dagur attack us?"

"No, I just thought I'd never have to see you spill blood, or command an army."

"I'm sorry Astrid. But it's the only way this is going to end."

"I know. I know. A lot has changed huh."

"Yeah, a lot _has_ changed. Do you think it's for the better?" He sighed.

His words surprised her. "Of course I do. I couldn't imagine my life with stormfly anymore." She scratched under her dragon's chin. "It's just different. Were not kids anymore, Chief Hiccup." He chuckled, never getting used to that title. " Yeah, different, but good different I think." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You ready?" She nodded once more.

On the beach Dagur had lined his men up in rows as Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, and Stormfly walked to meet him. Toothless quickly broke off to a small hill he could sit behind without being seen. The dragon made sure he was still close enough to hear any command he needed to follow. In reality he was only a few arm lengths away from the other three. Hiccup waved his arm and a group of Hooligans came from their places. They crowded around to listen to Hiccup's orders and immediately set to it. Placing torches around the beach so that the entire area could be seen. They were specified not to place any near Toothless so that he could stay hidden in the darkness.

The small group continued down the beach, Toothless slinking behind them, remaining unseen. They halted their progress as Dagur came into sight, pointing to his men, organizing them. His back was facing them yelling commands. Hiccup snapped his fingers and a plasma bolt shot into the air exploding over the invading armada. Dagur whipped around to face the group, easily outnumbered by his men.

The other Hooligans watched the small group, waiting to be signaled. The riders in their respective places ready to do their jobs when needed. The attacking army moved in on the group. Thinking they would retreat. Dagur commanded them to stop as he saw they were not backing away. They two parties now only 20ft. (6.66 meters) away from each other.

"I would like you to leave my lands Dagur." Hiccup said calmly. "You have no idea what you're facing." The stern look unwavering. Dagur laughed a truly insane laugh. "Oh, I don't know what i'm facing. I don't think you know who you're facing, HICCUP!" He screamed. Laughing again he drew his sword and faced it towards Hiccup, than Astrid. "And i'm taking her when i'm done with you." Hiccup blinked then sighed.

"Astrid."

"Stormfly spine shot." she commanded the Nadder. It lifted its tail Whipping lethal spikes at the army in front of them. The spines rushed passed Hiccup and into the first row of men. They easily speared the shoddy armour of the first row of troops. Each one falling with a loud clatter as there blood mixed together into a small pool underneath them. Dagur spun on his heel to see the pile of dead people. The blood stretching to pool under his feet. He whirled around again facing Hiccup. Hiccup waved his arm across the beach.

Snotlout saw his signal. "That's us Hook" he said as he spurred into the dragon's side. They took off towards their mark. Once there with a loud roar, the furthest row of ships were on fire creating a blockade. No one in or out. Screams of people burning could be heard all the way onto the beach. Dagur's face paled at the sound of burning ships and the large fire ball lighting up the beach like it was dusk again. Hiccup's face hadn't changed at all. Still the calm yet stern look he held. He knew what was going to happen.

Dagur couldn't move. He thought this was going to be an easy invasion. Kill Hiccup and The Night Fury and leave was the plan. Take anyone else they could, was a secondary objective. Why wasn't this going his way? He was the most fearsome leader in the entire land. How could a _hiccup_ be defeating him in battle?

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the snap of Hiccup's fingers. 'What does that mean?' He screamed in his head. He saw a shadowy figure raise from the near by hill. It's face lit up as it shot a plasma bolt passed the army and into Dagur's personal ship.

Splinters rained down over the army, a few unfortunate souls in the back of the group fell as larger pieces of wood stuck through their bodies. The figure no longer needed to hide. It rejoined his mate. Teeth bared and eyes slits as it wrapped itself around Hiccup. Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless head, rubbing his thumb over the dragons eye ridge. Snotlout rejoined them a few moments later. Taking his place next to Astrid. "Nice job Snot." Hiccup voiced.

"Was there any doubt?" Snotlout boasted.

Dagur hissed, at what was happening in front of him. He wasn't going to lose to a _hiccup_. He charged Hiccup ready to slash the second he was close enough. Hiccup didn't even flinch as Dagur rushed him. He quickly drew his sword meeting with Dagur's. Another hand movement and The Twins followed by Fishlegs flew into the beach. The zippleback flew down and littered the area in gas. Followed by the Gronckle dumping rocks into the sand. Taking Dagur's confusion to his advantage, Hiccup kicked the other boy into the middle of the pocket of gas. Dagur tripped over one of the rocks, causing him to lose his orientation.

He got up, swiveling around trying to find anything to tell him where he was. He fell over again and again trying to make his way out of the cloud. The Twins and fishlegs joined the group outside the pocket of gas. Hiccup nodded to them as they jumped off their dragons, not wanting to give Dagur any sense of direction. Yet another hand signal and all the dragons beat their wings pushing the gas away. Hiccup and Toothless followed the retreating gas until they came across the fallen figure. Hiccup placed his foot onto Dagur's chest causing him to thrash under it. "STOP!" Hiccup commanded. The fearsome leader did as he was told. Hiccup pointed the tip of his sword at Dagur's neck.

"Come now Hiccup. We both know you're not going to kill me. You don't kill other Vikings. Otherwise i'd already be dead. So why don't you just let me go, and i'll be on my way." Hiccup placed the point on the base of the deranged man's throat, threatening to cut him if he moved. "Well then I guess it's a good thing i'm not going to kill another Viking. I'm going to kill an _animal_." Hiccup said sternly.

Dagur laughed at the comment. "Me? An animal? Look at you. You've thrown your lot in with the dragons. If anything you're the animal." He screamed at the young chief. Hiccup smiled and chuckled. "And that's something I accepted a long time ago." He pushed the sword through Dagur's neck. He let the sword go, turning to face the now small group that happened to get onto the beach with Dagur.

"As for the rest of you." His voice loud and commanding. "You will leave my lands. You have two days to get off my beach. You will not leave this beach and go into the village. You will not talk to anyone I send to help remove the burnt ships. You will not return here, for it will not just be the unlucky and your leader's blood that soaks my sands. And I will be personally watching your work as you leave. And for your sake I hope your next leader isn't as dumb as to attack someone with a greater force than his own." He spun and retreated, retrieving his sword from Dagur in the process. He met up with his group of friends.

"Good work tonight guys. Astrid would you please take the first shift of watching our guests." She nodded. "The rest of you are dismissed. Thank you all for your cooperation." The other riders said their goodbyes and left to their houses.

"Astrid I will sent down a small group to watch with you. I will take over in the morning. Tell our guests that if they need anything talk to you and only you. I will likely have some of the junior (although adult) riders with the group to help move the ships. I will send food and drink for you and the others. And please be careful, i'm not sure how unstable these people are."

"Hiccup?" Her voice was soft. "What did he say to you before… you, you know."

"He just told me something I already know."

He walked up the path into the village, Toothless in tow. He found one of the group leaders still in hiding. Hiccup walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned and faced the chief. "Tell your men to gather a few other groups and report to Astrid, she'll fill you in. Before you head down find another leader and tell him to dismiss all who are not going down to the beach tonight. Also find some of the junior (adult) riders to help." The man nodded and turned to his group and told them their orders. Hiccup swiftly left.

Hiccup and Toothless wandered aimlessly around the village until they found themselves in the great hall. The only other people inside were the cooks, who were standing around chatting and keeping an eye on the food being cooked. The pair walked up to them and got swift nods from all. "Please bring food and drink down to the beach. Astrid and some others are down there and likely want to eat. After that you may all go home for the night." He smiled to them and turned to sit at one of the large tables near by. Once the group of cooks left with the food and mead for Astrid, Toothless jumped onto the table. Laying on it as he shut his eyes. "You know you're not supposed to be on the table." The dragon grumbled and shook his head. "I didn't plan on stopping you, but if one of the cooks sees you I can't guarantee your safety." The dragon opened one of his large eyes and look at the smiling man. He huffed and closed his eye again.

"Can you believe that he called me an animal?" He asked the slumbering Fury. The dragon raised his head at the question. "No… Yes."

"Thanks you're a real friend, you over grown lizard."

"What do you want me to say. How dare he? Hiccup even you have told me you feel more Dragon than Viking."

"And I still do. So maybe I am an _animal_. As long as it's a dragon i'm okay with that." He puffed out his chest and straighten his back. Giving a hero pose for a few seconds.

"Well how about, you're my dragon?" Toothless commented.

Hiccup hugged around Toothless neck as much as he could. "I think i'm okay with that." he giggled.

"Good, now can we go home? We have to take over for Astrid in the morning."

"Sure Bud, let's go." They both stood. Making their way slowly to the large doors. "Would you get off the table?" He looked up at his mate. Who only glanced at the man.

Toothless walked a little slower down the row of tables. Deliberately knocking a few metal plates and cups towards Hiccup. "Stop or i'll punish you, you useless reptile." Toothless held his head high. "Like you did last night?" Hiccup stopped in his tracks. The dragon continued down his path, laughing. He turned his head to see Hiccup, red in the face. His expression between embarrassed and angry. More embarrassed than angry Toothless concluded.

"Come here you stupid dragon!" Hiccup yelled, bolting to catch up to said dragon. Toothless was already out the doors when Hiccup reached the end of the tables. Taking two graceful leaps over the sets of stairs in front of the hall, Toothless spun facing the the steps ready to jump the boy when he reached the bottom.

The doors heaved open revealing a smiling chief. He spotted his mark, the black dragon that made him feel like a kid again. He started running down the steps, taking unsafe strides to get to the dragon. On the second set Toothless met him halfway, ready to pounce, only Hiccup had taken that into consideration and got under his chin. It caught him off guard and they tumbled down the steps. Toothless landed on his back, Hiccup sprawled out on his chest, giggling. Hiccup sat up on Toothless and threw his hands up in the air. "I have slain the mighty Night Fury." Before he could react Toothless flipped and pinned him to the ground. "Or maybe it is _I_ who has slain The mighty chief of Berk, The Dragon Tamer, The living Legend." Hiccup squirmed under Toothless' foot. "Fine you win, you big baby." Happy with his victory, he let the boy up.

"Tag you're it." Hiccup yelped and ran off towards their house. The dragon bound over the boy, blocking Hiccup from entering their predetermined safe zone. Hiccup took a deep breath and with all his will he let out a mighty "ROAR!" The dragon laughed at his attempt. "You're at least getting better." Toothless moved back into the door opening it. Hiccup followed him in, closing the door behind himself. "Alright let's get to bed. We've got to get up soon." They raced up the steps and fell asleep. Feeling safer than ever.


	4. Into The Night

**AN: This is the beginning of this story. For some reason I have an affinity to start my stories in medias res, so yeah.**

"Astrid, Toothless and I are leaving." He said to the stunned girl. She was amazed by the flight they just took. He so desperately wanted to change peoples minds. Starting with Astrid. The problem was she was a 'true' viking and they landed she ran off. Hiccup wanted to chase after her. his body kept him from moving. he had to figure out a way to change their minds.

The next morning he woke up sick to his stomach. He ran from the warmth of his friend. Hiccup vomited at the thought of his 'exam' later in the day. The friend instantly ran over at the sight of his sick companion.

The dragon's mind was racing. Thinking of all the reasons the boy was getting sick. was it from the fish they ate? Toothless noticed how violently Hiccup was shaking. Was he sick from being cold? The dragon wrapped himself around the boy, trying to warm him up.

"Thanks Bud." Hiccup whispered. He sighed needing to figure out a way to show everyone that dragons weren't their enemies. The only thing that came to his mind, was that he had to do it during the exam. Not wanting to be late for the spectacle , Hiccup left his companion.

Hiccup made his way to the village. The walk wasn't long, but he dragged his feet. Taking twice as long as normal. The entire time racking his brain trying to find a way to change their minds.

"Maybe I could slowly show each villager Toothless." was one. Another was "Maybe I could just go back and we leave." he took the ladder into serious consideration, to the point of turning around and walking back. "That won't solve anything." He turned back slowly reaching the edge of the village.

When he entered the village people greeted him with happy faces. Congratulating him on being the one to slay the dragon. He soon reached his house and quietly snuck in.

To his surprise his father was waiting for him. "Hiccup sit down." The chief said in a low calm voice. Hiccup did as he was told. Not wanting to raise any suspicion, due to not returning the night before. "Hiccup I know about the dragon." The voice turning into a low growl.

Hiccup was surprised, Toothless was at stake so he tried to play it cool. "Haven't we already had this conversation?" He joked, trying to act normal. Stoick's face turned into an angry frown.

"Hiccup, Astrid told me everything. Now Hiccup, where, is, that, dragon?" Hiccup visibly stiffened. "HICCUP, WHERE IS IT?" The chief slammed his hammer on the table between them, causing everything to jump.

Hiccup slowly got to his feet. His knees were shaking out of control. "L-let me s-show you." He said holding his hands up in surrender. "Just f-follow m-me, okay?" Stoick grimaced in response.

Hiccup lead his father through the forest. Not taking his normal route. "He's in there." Hiccup pointed into the cove. Before Hiccup could jump in, Stoick placed a giant hand on his son's shoulder. "Take this." He handed Hiccup the sword from his waist. "when we get in there, I want you to kill that dragon. Just think how proud everyone would be. You'd we a true Viking." Hiccup winced at _kill that dragon._

Both beings jumped in. "Dad stay here. I'll bring him out and kill him in front of you. Everyone will be so proud of me." He chimed. He slowly walked to the sleeping figure in the corner of The Cove. Hiccup patted Toothless' head, waking the napping dragon. One large eye opened, dilating in the low light. The other quickly followed. Toothless cooed and nuzzled Hiccup's stomach. "Hey Bud. Listen we're in danger. We have to leave.

"HICCUP!" Stoick yelled, sounding only feet away.

Hiccup jumped onto Toothless back. He stiffly kicked the dragon's side causing him to move with a start. They jumped into the middle of the large pit.

Stoick gasped at the sight. Growling at what he saw. "I SEE YOU'VE THROWN YOUR LOT IN WITH THEM! YOU'RE NO VIKING! YOU'RE NOT MY SON!" He howled.

Hiccup didn't care. He wasn't going to kill the only good thing in his life. "Alright Bud." He whispered. "Let's go. We need to head for home so I can get some stuff. We have to hurry." They took off toward the village, knocking Stoick over in the process.

They stayed under the cliffs edge so they wouldn't be seen. They shot into Hiccup's room. Hiccup frantically started to grab at things lying around the room. A few bags, a satchel, parchment, charcoal, The Book Of Dragons, his pillow, light blanket, and a few sets of clothes. "Next is the smithy Bud." They dashed out of the house and into the small shack. Crashing through the large window they knocked Gobber into the wall. Again Hiccup began to reach for anything within the small area. A large sheet of leather, a hammer, nails, an axe, and shears. As he was grabbing the items, Gobber regained his composure, while Hiccup was stuffing the bags. "Hiccup what in Thor's na-"

"Gobber, Toothless. Toothless, Gobber. Toothless hold him down" Hiccup said hastily. Gobber nervously laughed.

"No need boyo, I didn't plan on stoppin' yuh." Hiccup stopped grabbing at random items.

"What? You're not going to stop us. What happened to vikings do this, and Vikings do that? Vikings fight dragons. Vikings kill dragons?" Gobber carefully moved around Toothless. Taking deliberate steps no to trip and fall onto the dragon or Hiccup, lest it be his death. He started to hand more tools to Hiccup.

"Hiccup listen. I'm not the smartest person but i'm going to stop someone who's trained a dragon. Especially not this beast. Not that i'm in a position to anyway. Just be careful out there. An' don't worry I won't tell your father you were here. Hiccup's breath hitched.

"I-thanks Gobber, you've always been a pal." He mounted Toothless and moved through the window they entered.

They left the same way they came. Under the cliffside. For hours they flew, looking for a place to land. It was late and the frantic packing had made Hiccup tired. His body was threatening to fall asleep. Quickly panning around he spotted an island they could rest. He pointed to the nearby island wanting to land.

Once they landed, Hiccup unpacked all the bags and items from Toothless' saddle, also removing it in the process. "There yuh go Bud." He pat the dragon on the head. "I'm sorry we had to leave like that. I wish I could have help change them. I guess that won't be happening huh." Toothless nuzzled his head against Hiccup's stomach. "Thanks Bud. Besides it's not like they want me, much less need me." He whispered.

"Alright, i'll get some wood for a fire. Can you find something to eat?" An hour later a small fire was burning, with enough extra wood for the night.

Toothless came across a stream and plucked a few fish from it. When he came back he saw Hiccup wrapped in the blanket from his house.

The boy was crying, wiping away his tears as soon as they appeared. The skin around his eyes, red and blotchy. Missed tears streaked down The reddened cheeks. Hiccup heard Toothless' return and tried to hide his face. The dragon dropped their dinner and rushed to his companions side. Hiccup held onto Toothless' head, not trying to conceal his tears anymore. Toothless nudged under Hiccup's chin. Chirping to get his attention. He picked up one of the fish and gave it to the boy. "Thanks Bud." He muttered, scratching behind the dragon's ear. Wiping a few remaining tears from his face, he found a stick and speared his fish, and placed it over the fire.

He sat back, watching the fish cook. Listening to the wood pop and hiss, and the bugs around them buzz. The sound of his dragon munching on his own dinner, then the grass russel under his body as he shifted to retrieve his food.

Hiccup slowly picked at his fish. The events from the day weighing on his mind. Bitter resentment setting in. He screamed, throwing what was left his fish into the fire. Kicking up ash and embers into the air. He accidently hit Toothless while flailing his arms around angrily. Toothless whined at the painful contact. "Sorry Bud, I didn't mean to hit you."

Hiccup was exhausted. He pulled his pillow from one of the bags and laid on it. He closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. "Good night Toothless." He yawned.

Toothless stayed awake, making sure nothing would attack them. Slowly scanning the area around them. He stayed that way for hours, allowing the fire to die in the process. Hiccup had forgotten to stoke the fire before he fell asleep. Toothless paid no mind to the dying fire. Not needing the heat or light from it. Soon the fire was out, allowing the cold to set in.

Hiccup's teeth began to chatter in his sleep. Toothless had never heard that sound before. Hiccup's body was shivering under the thin blanket. He inspected the boy and noticed how he was trying to curl into himself. Wanting to retain as much heat as possible. Toothless got up and shook off his own tiredness.

He breathed as stream of fire onto the ground underneath himself. Stamping it out to make a bed of ash. In the mean time Hiccup's shivering had turned violent. Worrying for his companion, he shed him of the useless blanket and picked him up by the vest. The somehow even colder air roused Hiccup from his sleep. Hiccup panicked and started thrashing around, trying to get free. Toothless growled, making Hiccup squeak. He stopped squirming as he was placed into the bed of ash. His confusion was sated when the dragon plopped down next to him. Wrapping his sleek body around him. Toothless placed a wing over Hiccup, making a small pocket he would sleep in.

Hiccup wondered what caused this protective action. He took a mental note of it. They'd slept like that before but Toothless never initiated it. He crossed his arms trying, to get comfortable. When he did he instantly found out why his dragon had done this. He was freezing, cold to the touch. All too soon the space became hot. Deciding that he was stuck in Toothless' grasp. he stripped himself of his vest and long sleeve shirt. The sudden loss of excess heat made the pocket cozy. "Thanks Toothless." He hummed, curling further into the dragon's body. Toothless cooed in response. Hearing Hiccup's light snoring, Toothless dropped his head near the boy's and slept.

In the morning Hiccup woke to the familiar sound of Toothless' stomach rumbling. "Morning to you too." He shoved the loosened wing from himself and stood. Brushing the ash from his body. He only got a step away before a slimy tongue licked up the length of his back. Hiccup winced as the air touched back. Turning to scold his dragon, he was met with the same tongue licking from the base of his stomach to his neck.

The act made him elicit a small moan. He was red in the face and tried to stop his dragon. Said dragon paid no heed to the boy's pleas, liking his sides. Making sure there was no ash tainting the skin.

After his 'bath', Hiccup was wiping down his body again. getting rid of excess dragon spit and grumbling to himself about how it doesn't wash out. The dragon cooed at his work, happy with the results. Hiccup turned to face Toothless, still trying to get as much dragon spit off as possible. When he turned he saw how happy the dragon was. He smiled to himself. "Alright fine. Thank you. You useless reptile." He giggled, wrapping his arms around Toothless' neck. "Let me get dressed. I want to check out this island."

Once in the air they circled the island. Hiccup was taking mental notes of the landscape. A lot of trees, a stream that seemed plentiful, and a large almost mountainous hill stood on the far side of the island. "Toothless get up higher." The dragon did as he was told. Poking a hole through a cloud as they ascended.

Once high enough Hiccup leveled them off. Gliding slowly he looked around. Other than a few smaller islands there was no sign of anything around them. Naively content that they were safe he smiled. "Bring us down Bud. I think we'll be safe here."

When they touched down, Hiccup packed everything back onto Toothless. When ready Hiccup pointed in the direction of the hill. They trecked through the relatively dense forest. Coming across the stream Toothless found, they napped a few more fish out of it for their dinner. At midday they reached the base of the mount. "That's a lot taller from down here isn't it. Annoyance in his voice. "We need to see if there's a flat spot somewhere." He climbed onto Toothless' back, who grumbled at the extra weight. Although light he still added to the amount already packed onto him. "I know Bud. If it helps any I think I already see a place we can land." Toothless looked up at the spot Hiccup was pointing to. It was a flat spot just over halfway up. He spread his wings and shot up towards the area in question.

When they reached the spot, it was much larger than previously thought. Something had happened to the area causing half the land to be flattened, than the rest continued up into the peak.

Hiccup took off the randomly assorted items from Toothless, unhooking the fake tail fin as well. "There yuh go Bud." He smiled at the annoyed dragon. The dragon grumbled at the boy, who immediately scratched him under the chin. His one true weakness. "I know Bud. And i'm sorry about yesterday, that probably stressed you out really bad." He sighed. "I guess this is going to be our life now." He turned the dragons head. The bright jade met Dense forest.

"Toothless, I don't know how well you can understand me but…" He took a deep breath. "I promise that no matter what happens i'll protect you the best I can. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." His throat sealed shut and tears stung his eyes. "T-Toothless you've been the only thing to, to accept me for me. I can't let that go. I won't let that go. I promise. I promise. He hugged the dragons neck, laying his head on Toothless.

It had grown late, and the sun started to fall under the trees on the other side of the island. "Tomorrow we'll start to cut down some of these trees and make a shelter. Okay?" Toothless grunted in acceptance. They bedded down for the night. Hiccup didn't bother to make a fire and accepted his place under Toothless' wing. They slept soundly. The sound of thunder in the distance.

When Hiccup woke up, Toothless was missing. Replaced by a failed attempt to be covered by his thin blanket. He looked around, noticing that the cloud of rain was still over the sea. Happy that he wouldn't be rained on, he stood stretching still looking for Toothless. He stopped turning when he saw a few fallen trees. He scanned the area with the trees and watched another fall. Once the tree had settled, behind it revealed a content looking Toothless. Hiccup watched as his dragon spotted another ill fated tree, blasting the bottom it easily succumbed to the dragon.

Hiccup got dressed and went down to meet Toothless, axe in hand. Along with the axe he brought along the fish they caught the day before. When he reached the small clearing he called for the dragon. In turn the dragon leaped towards him, sitting in front of Hiccup. Hiccup tossed both fish at Toothless' feet. In a matter of seconds the fish were gone.

Hiccup began to mark and cut the fallen trees. After a few days they had enough wood to start their new house. The next few weeks were filled with chopping wood to the right size and height. Then dragging it up the hill to be placed in the small trench they dug to stand up the wood for walls.

After a month and a half, the 'house' shaped more like a giant box, was coming to. The walls had been put up and the floor had started to go in. They even had a door. It was a small door you had to duck under to get through, with some makeshift hinges that Hiccup created. The only things left were a fire pit and a roof that wouldn't leak when it rained.

Soon the house was complete. A small fire pit in the middle, lined with stone. A slanted roof with a small hole to let smoke out. It didn't even leak. Four solid walls that kept the wind out and finally a small door that opened outward. All in all a great place to live for them. The cold had quickly set in. Storms threatened them with snow. They tried to preserve as much fish and game as possible. Though when the first snow fell they were drastically unprepared…


	5. Sacrifices

Weeks had passed and their supplies were dwindling. There was very little firewood and less food. Hiccup was sitting at the small desk he'd created. He was cursing himself on how stupid he was when building the door. "Why would I have it open outward? What a stupid mistake, I can't believe it." He placed another log onto the fire and stared at the currently angry Toothless.

There last fight almost ended poorly for Hiccup. They were eating what little they could for the day when Toothless decided he needed more. Which was true, they both had slimmed down and both Hiccup and Toothless were at dangerous weights for them. Now that he looked at it they likely would both die if something wasn't done.

Hiccup looked over at his angrily sleeping friend. He sighed, remembering the pained face of his dragon as his stomach knotted with hunger. He remembered the promise he made the dragon, and was sad that he'd end up breaking it in a dumb manner.

He decided that it was time to keep his promise. He threw a bit more wood on the small fire and placed a pan in it. He sat back down and watched as it heated up. He grabbed a small makeshift knife from his desk. He stared at it for a few seconds before placing the tip of it half way up his left leg. He cut through the fabric of his legging, slowly cutting around until it was free. He slashed down the length and the fabric fell free. He picked up the discarded legging and cut a strip out of it. He loosely tied it around his exposed thigh. He sighed and got up. The pan in the fire was red hot and ready when he needed it. He walked over to Toothless sitting in front of the dragon's head. He reached out, running a thumb over the small horns on Toothless head. The sensation made the dragon purr under his hand.

The Night Fury lazily opened one eye. He shifted his head so that there was more contact with his friend. He felt the boy's second hand join the first. He felt Hiccup's nails drag on the scales on his head, pulling against them. When the boy stopped he whined. He watch as his friend stood up, then sit back down near the fire.

Hiccup had become scared, anxious about what he wanted to do. He decided that it was only right. "Toothless, come here bud." He called. The dragon slowly rose to his feet and trekked over to his rider. The dragon was confused as to why moved when he was so comfortable before.

Hiccup knew it was time. He tightened the strip around his leg as much as he could. He carefully pulled the pan from the fire, setting it next to himself. Lastly he gripped the dragon's head and forced open his maw. Hiccup stuck his leg into Toothless' mouth. He closed it around his leg, just under knee.

Toothless was confused as to what was happening. 'Why is he doing this? Why does he have to be so weird.' He asked himself.

Hiccup knew the dragon wasn't getting it. He'd wished that the Night Fury would immediately understand do the deed but of course not. He grabbed onto the dragon's head again. He swiftly tapped the bottom of Toothless' jaw, forcing him to extend his teeth. He hoped that now he would get it. When Toothless still didn't do what he wanted he tried to force Toothless to. He placed one hand on Toothless' nose and the other under his chin and pushed them together. He wasn't strong enough to force the dragon to bite his leg off.

Hiccup resorted to the last thing he wanted to do. Command. "Eat it Toothless. I'm allowing you to eat my leg. You're hungry and need to eat. This is the only way you're not going to starve to death. And I won't allow you to die. Not like that. JUST BITE IT OFF!"

The dragon took a moment to consider what his friend had said. He sat for a few seconds, until his body took over instead. He sliced through the leg, swallowing it whole.

Hiccup was surprised at the dragon's quick movements. He hadn't realized what happened until his new stump fell to the floor. He took the still hot pan, sticking it to the bottom of his thigh. He screamed as the pain radiated through his body. His screams forced back the curious dragon, until he passed out.

Hiccup's body fell limp onto the floor. His body was pale, and he was curled into himself. Pain riddled his face. His sobbing was quiet and his tears pelted the ground.

Toothless sniffed at his injured friend. The smell of fresh blood tickled his nostrils. His mind clouded over, the safety of Hiccup at the forefront of his mind. They both needed food and what was left in the small hut wasn't enough. He raced over to the dwindling wood pile. Taking over half of what was left, he dropped it into the fire. The fire roared and crackled. It didn't seem to help. The boy had begun to shiver violently.

Toothless didn't want to leave Hiccup, but they needed to eat. What he did was reckless and now more than ever Hiccup needed more than fish. Toothless shot down the door that had trapped them for weeks. He would have done it earlier if not for the hard work Hiccup had put into the house.

Once outside he took in the surroundings. Snow piled high all around them. Trees frozen, and bushes wiped out. It hadn't snowed, a blizzard had come over and forced the island into submission. Toothless bounded forward a bit, trying to get a vantage point. Luckily for him there had recently been activity in the area. Snow had been pushed along and tracks dotted the land. He quickly follow what looked like the freshest set of tracks. He rounded a small, finding a small group of deer grazing for what they could under the snow.

Toothless got into a low stance, then charged the first one he saw. A medium sized faun fell to the grip of his jaws. Once it had stopped resisting, he bit into it. Taking large chunks out of it's thigh and stomach. He slurped up as much as he could, making sure to eat as many blood rich organs as he could. Once finished the others of the group had scattered in all different directions.

He followed a set of tracks that seemed promising. He found a large buck grazing. There were no others around. Toothless slowly approached the buck. He wanted to make sure he was careful when he attacked. Being stuck by one of the antlers would likely kill both him and Hiccup. His approach was slow and low. He watched as the buck bent down to dig under the snow. In a moments notice the buck's world turned black and no longer existed.

Toothless slowly dragged his prize home. He dragged it inside, dropping it onto the floor. He heard his friends whimpering, still curled into himself. He rushed over to him, lifting Hiccup from his spot near the fire. Toothless placed him back down where they normally slept. He carefully wrapped himself around the boy. He tried to sooth his friend by grooming him slowly. He focused on the boy's new stump. To his silent surprise calmed down slightly, his face became more neutral, and his breathing less labored.

Toothless didn't sleep the entire night. He watch his friend painfully sleep. Soon the night turned to day. Toothless had started to doze off until Hiccup's stomach growled loudly. Toothless got up, stretched and moved to the deer. He clawed it open. He ate at some of it's insides until he had a small portion in his mouth. He mashed it in his mouth till it was a fine paste, then swallowed it. He swiftly returned to Hiccup. He tried to sit Hiccup up as much as possible. Once at an acceptable angle, Toothless forced Hiccup's mouth open as far as it would go. He regurgitated the mush into the boy's mouth. Toothless forced Hiccup to swallow it down. The boy shivered as his _food_ was forced into his stomach.

For eight days, the dragon repeatedly feed his human. Cleaned him when he made a mess of himself, and kept him warm and safe. The first day Hiccup opened his eyes, he writhed in pain, until his dragon licked him. The sensation of something rough rubbing down his body took his mind away from the pain. He closed his eyes allowing his dragon to take care of him.

He reopened his eyes when he felt Toothless focus on his leg. He watched as his dragon carefully licked at the poorly cauterized wound. He was happy to see that it hadn't been infected while he was out. He lightly hugged around Toothless' neck. "Thanks bud." He whispered.

"Have you been taking care of me this whole time? His voice was stronger but still hoarse. The dragon nuzzled his head into Hiccup's stomach. He weakly chuckled into his friend's head." Thank you so much. I know I've been a terrible friend. I only take from you and I can't give back. I wouldn't be alive without you, and I can't imagine the unspeakable things you must have done to keep me alive. I just want you to know that if you ever get sick or hurt or whatever, that I would do the same. Feed you, clean you, keep you safe. Toothless, I would kill for you. As long as it kept you with me. I couldn't do this on my own, especially now. I love you Toothless, and I would sacrifice myself to save you. I promise.".


	6. I'll Kill You

_AN: Until further notice Hiccup is yelling. I didn't want to caps lock fury this entire story so yeah._

They tumbled into the street. "I'm going to fucking kill you Toothless." Hiccup was on top of Toothless, attempting to strangle him.

"Hiccup you're making to hard to breath. Please stop." As much as Hiccup would like to strangle Toothless to death there was no physical way he could do it.

"You fucking killed him Toothless. We were starting to get along, and you killed him. You're dead Toothless. Dead."

It was late and there was no one else on the street. At few torches lit the area but not much else. Unlucky for Astrid, it was her night to patrol the small village for disturbances. She heard screaming and ran over to see what the commotion was about. Once on the scene two things were obvious to her. One Hiccup was trying to choke Toothless, and two he was likely drunk. she knew he'd been taking his father's death pretty hard but she never expected this. She assumed they would work through it like everything else. The stories he'd told them about living on that island were proof enough. 'I guess not.' She thought to herself. She approached the _fight_ which was really one sided since Toothless would never attack Hiccup. Not even if he was in a drunken rage.

"Hiccup!" She yelled.

"Go away Astrid! Can you see I'm going to kill Toothless." He yelled back.

"Hiccup! Get off of him or i'll take you off!" She crossed her arms, and tapped her foot loudly in the dirt.

"Fuck you Astrid!" Before he knew it he was on the ground, with a small but very strong hand wrapped around his throat. "What do you think you're doing!?"

She sighed. "I'm going to teach you a lesson Hiccup." Her hand tightened around his neck, She drug him through the dirt until she lifted him and slammed his head against a wall. He tried to push her away but to his surprise caught both his hands and now had them pinned above his head. Along with that her other hand had tightly balled into a fist, with a large chunk of his hair in it.

Toothless had flipped over and was in a low stance. He couldn't attack them without hurting Hiccup. He watched the whole scene, as Astrid dragged and pinned him to the wall. He whined for the release of his mate, but that wasn't happening.

"Have you gone insane Hiccup" She asked, concerned for his health.

"NO! I'm just trying to get revenge for my father. He killed him Astrid." He justified.

"You don't believe that." She said matter-of-factly.

"Yes I do Astrid. How would you know how I feel?" He sneered.

"Look at him." She asked. She forcefully moved his head so that he was looking at Toothless. He closed his eyes.

"No." He tried to shake her off. She smashed his head against the wall again. He winced at the pain. That sobered him up a bit. He reluctantly opened his eyes.

"Now tell Toothless that you hate him. DO IT!" She commanded.

"I-I h-h." She slammed his head again.

"I'm sorry Hiccup, I don't think I quite caught that. What were you saying?" She grumbled into his ear.

"I-I can't. I Won't." She let him go. He crumpled into a ball. He pulled his knees to his chest, his head resting in between them. Astrid crouched in front of him.

"Hiccup, you can't let this get at you like this. I know it's hard but you know better. It wasn't his fault, and you know that. Your dad was an amazing guy, but he valued you more than his own life. Even after you ran away with a dragon. And maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Maybe you would have moved in the last second and nothing would have happened but we don't know that. You should cherish what you have, not what you've lost. You have your life and you have Toothless. I bet your dad isn't mad at Toothless. Why should you be?" She whispered. "I hope you remember this in the morning."

She got up from her spot, and walked over to Toothless. "I'm sorry this happened to you Toothless. He's just hurting right now. Just give him time, he'll come around." She walked away, continuing her patrol. As she walked away she could hear Hiccup loudly sobbing.

_AN: Yelling over._

Once she was out of sight Toothless slowly tiptoed over to his mate. "Hiccup?" He pushed his muzzle against Hiccup's head. He could smell dried blood on it. He felt Hiccup wrap his arm around his neck tightly.

"I'm so sorry Toothless." Hiccup choked out. He pulled Toothless' head onto his knees replacing his own. He planted kisses all over the dragon's head.

"I'm Sorry Hiccup." Toothless said as Hiccup stopped his attack. Hiccup held both sides of the dragon's head and looked into his eyes. Into his soul.

"No Toothless. You have nothing to be sorry about. I know it wasn't your fault, I'm just being a jerk. Astrid was right, it's just hard. You know?" He sighed. "This won't happen again. I promise.


	7. The Deal

Hiccup and Toothless returned to their cot. Finding two people sitting inside. Hiccup's face paled, too stunned to even grab at his knife. Toothless stepped forward, teeth bared. A deep growl echoing in the small house. Both intruders barely payed them any heed.

"W-who are y-you people? Why are you here?" Hiccup asked tentatively. "We don't have a-anything." He had finally gotten his knife from his belt, weakly holding it out in front of himself.

The man sitting in front of the fire chuckled. "And what do you plan to do with that?" He poked at the fire in the pit. "Please come sit down." He motioned for them to sit.

Hiccup slowly stepped forward, taking a place on the opposite side of the fire. Toothless followed, lying behind Hiccup. Toothless wrapped his tail around Hiccup. There was something off about them, and he didn't like their scent.

"So w-why are you here? I haven't seen any villages on the island. Where are you from? Who are you with?" He stammered. The man laughed to himself.

"Did you hear that Freya? He wants to know who we're with? He laughed on until the woman kicked him in the back.

"Of course he wants to know who we're with, you fool. There isn't anything within a few Thor's miles. Freya Scolded. "That's perfectly reasonable for a human to wonder. With how dumb you are sometimes, I wonder how you managed to trick your way into being a god." She shook her head. "Just hurry up with what you're going to do and let's get out of here."

The man in front of the fire waved his hand dismissively. The boy on the other side of that fire was quickly putting the pieces together as to who The two strangers were.

"F-freya?" Hiccup pointed weakly at the woman. "And she s-said you tricked your way into being a g-god. T-t-that means you're Loki." Hiccup choked. His mind started racing. He had no idea why Freya and Loki would be in their house. He started to think back to see if he'd done something so wrong that it warranted a visit from them. God's don't come down from Asgard without reason especially Freya and Loki.

"What are you doing here. We haven't done anything wrong. Have we." Hiccup asked quietly. Toothless huffing loudly, wanting to know the same thing.

The man, now identified as Loki gave them a giant smile. "I'm just here to make you two a deal. One I don't think you'll be able to resist." He reached behind himself and into a satchel tied at his waist. He pulled out two vials. They both glowed bright purple and pulsed, slowly becoming dimmer then bright again.

"These are what you'll be trading for." He held up the vials in his fingers. He leaned forward putting out his hand to give them to Hiccup.

Hiccup sat stunned, watching Loki stick his arm through the fire without being affected. His leg hurt just looking at it. He grabbed the vials from Loki. He shook one cautiously, trying to figure out what was inside.

"What is this stuff?" He asked, mesmerized by the color. He held it in front of Toothless so he could see them too. Toothless snorted at it. _'He said trade, not give."_ Toothless thought to himself. Hiccup also quickly came to that realization.

"You said trade. What could you possibly want?" Hiccup tried to think of anything they could trade. Nothing came to mind. _"Surely they don't want the house. But that's the only thing we have."_ He tried to figure out if they had anything else to trade but he was interrupted by Loki's voice.

"It's not so much you boy. But your friend there has what I want." His previously large grin turned sinister as he spoke.

"No." Hiccup stated. "You can't have Toothless. I don't care what these vials do. You can't have him." Hiccup set the vials to his side, replacing them with Toothless' head. "I won't allow you."

Both the gods looked surprised for a moment. Freya decided to pay more attention to the conversation. She wanted to see where this would go and to see if she had to step in or not.

"Oh? And if I wanted your Night Fury what would you do to stop me? Loki hissed. Hiccup sat up straighter, puffed his chest out a bit further and looked Loki in the eye.

"I would kill you." He said, knowing full well that he'd likely Parish himself but he'd do anything to save Toothless. It was his promise.

Freya smiled and raised an eyebrow. _"He's definitely has a dragon soul. And it seems to be the one I've been looking for. Now I just have to wait for this idiot to finish so I can talk to them."_ She thought. Bored of his games she nudged him to hurry up. Loki grunted in response to her swift _nudge._

"Fine." He grumbled. "I don't want your dragon, boy. What I want is a portion of his life." Loki calmly said. He acted as if Hiccup immediately knew what he meant by that. Hiccup only sat confused, wondering how he could take a portion of Toothless' life. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Do you know how long a Night Fury lives?" Hiccup shook his head. "Around twelve hundred summers if they aren't killed. Do you know how old your Night Fury is? Hiccup shook his head again." Well let's ask him. How old are you dragon?" Hiccup looked at him like he was crazy, until Toothless lifted his head.

"I'm only 18 summers old" Toothless said. All Hiccup heard was growling and some snaps from his friend, but was obvious that he was responding to the question.

"Ah. See that wasn't too hard. He's only 18 summers boy. Only a bit older than you. Not here is my deal for you dragon. I want three hundred of your summers as my own. Which means that you'll die at nine hundred instead of twelve. But if you are to perish early, I also get what you didn't use." Loki paused for a second to check if they were still following him. Deciding that they were he continued. "In return you will be able to talk to each other. You, boy will inherently know how to speak the dragon's language. But you two will be specially connected. You'll be in each other's mind. One of you can not think without the other knowing. And last but not least you'll share the remaining years equally. So you both live to be to be around four hundred and fifty years old give or take." He stood. Quickly stretched and made his way to the door. He motioned for Freya to follow him out.

"All you have to do is drink from those vials. And you accept my deal. If you don't, simply pour them into the fire. And it'll be like nothing happen." The door softly shut behind the two gods. A bright light flashed and they were gone.

They both returned to Asgard. "The last dragon soul, Freya. You must be happy that your monster's tasks are at an end. I'm surprised he hasn't killed the boy yet. He must hide it well for it not to have noticed." Loki commented. Freya gave him a light smile.

"He'll figure it out soon enough. I'm sure it's only matter of time before he returns to me with the boy's soul." She chimed.

"I guess we'll see." Loki disappeared into thin air. Freya giggled to herself.

_'What a fool he is. The Night Fury's purpose isn't to kill dragon souls only find the one I'm looking for.'_ She casually made her way to her room in her father's castle. Freya began to make plans to visit them again very soon.

Hiccup and Toothless sat staring at the two vials that could change their friendship forever. Hiccup held them up in front of them, shaking the contents.

"Well Toothless. I'll let you decide. It's your life after all. I have no say in the matter. What you choose I'll follow." Toothless looked into the glowing glass being held in front of him. '_I've never even considered how long I'd live. That's such a long time. But to have some taken away and then give some to Hiccup. It's only a third of what I'd live normally. But I'd be able to live it with him. I kinda need him to fly. And what he's sacrificed to stay with me and to keep me alive and healthy. Family, friends, his leg. This ball of small Viking deserves this. Not to mention finally being able to have an actual conversation with him.'_

Toothless took one of the vials into his mouth. Gripping the vial's small neck with his teeth, he broke it in his mouth allowing the small bit of liquid to pour out. Hiccup immediately freaked out. He forced his hand into Toothless' mouth. He pulled the vial's body out first. Noticing it was empty he tossed it away. Reaching back in he started to feel for broken glass. Once he found a piece he held it in his palm and continued searching. After a few he pulled them out. He looked at his hand, covered in blood. He grabbed the other vial. Pulling the cork from the top he downed the drink. He was surprised to find that it didn't taste like anything. It was thicker than water but there was no taste.

Hiccup quickly became full of energy. He felt like he did when they would go flying. Pumped and shaky. Then he remembered what he could do now.

"Toothless?" He asked. The dragon's eyes grew wide.

"He wasn't lying." Toothless said, carefully. Hiccup came at him again, swiftly shoving his hands into Toothless' mouth.

"Iccup what har yu doin'? Get yur han out of my mouf." Hiccup paid no attention to his dragon. Focusing on getting the glass out of his mouth he hadn't realized that Toothless had just responded to him. Toothless pulled away from Hiccup.

"Hiccup what are you doing?" He asked.

"You have glass in your mouth idiot. Why would you do that. You're bleeding. Would you at least spit out the rest." Toothless rolled his eyes but complied to Hiccup wish. He rolled his tongue around his mouth collecting the bits in his mouth. He spit onto the floor in between Hiccup and himself. Hiccup groaned and go up from his knees. He hugged around Toothless' neck.

"I can't believe we can talk now!" He exclaimed. Toothless suddenly became very weak. Hiccup tried to keep him up as long as possible. Toothless pulled away from Hiccup to vomit his lunch from earlier. He slumped over onto his side. His breathing became labored and ragged. His whole body was trembling. His whining was loud, and scared.

Hiccup rushed to his side. Checking over him to see if he cut himself on something and got sick from it. Finding nothing he returned to Toothless' head to check if he was abnormally hot. Deciding that it wasn't any different than normal, Hiccup rushed to their food store to grab some fish. When he returned Toothless was shakily standing. Hiccup slowly made his way towards Toothless, but when the wood leg his fashioned clicked against the floor it drew Toothless' attention. The dragon took a small step back.

"Don't get any closer." Toothless pleaded. Hiccup clenched his jaw and balled his hands. '_If I see that Mischievous bastard again. I'll kill him.' _

"Please don't kill me!" Toothless yelped. He backed into the corner behind him. He pressed himself into the wall as much as possible trying to get away. Hiccup set down the fish, grumbling about how they could hear each other's thoughts. Hiccup slowly took another step towards his terrified dragon.

"Please. Please." Toothless begged. Hiccup took another tentative step forward. He held out his hand showing the dragon that he was unarmed. Hiccup was almost within touching distance before he stopped. Toothless looked up slowly to find the boy much closer than he'd like. He was so startled that he accidently shot a plasma blast.

Hiccup stood stunned. The smell of burnt hair floated in the air. He looked back, finding a large chunk of their wall missing. Hiccup grunted at the work he'd have to do later, but he didn't care. He turned back to the distressed dragon.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. Please don't kill me." Hiccup gulped as he took the final step forward. Touching Toothless' head, he sat down while stroking the dragon.

"Hey, hey it's okay." Hiccup soothed. "I'm not going to kill you." Toothless looked up the boy holding his head. "Do you remember where you are?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless looked around the cabin a bit. He tried to find something, anything to remember but he couldn't.

"No." He said, ashamed. Hiccup sighed loudly. His anger started to boil over as Freya's voice filled the room.

"I had a feeling this would happen." He said calmly. Hiccup carefully placed Toothless head down but stood quickly. He took a step in front of Toothless and splayed his arms wide, blocking her from getting any closer than she already was.

"Why are you here?" Hiccup shouted. "He can't remember anything! He can't remember me, or himself, how we got here, how we met, all the shit we've gone through. It's all gone." HIccup broke down. Falling to his knees, sobbing and choking on his words. "Please fix him." He begged. "Please make him remember. He thought I was going to kill him. I wouldn't be here if I killed him. I just want him to remember me." Freya crouched in front of Hiccup. She Pushed his chin up so that he could see what she was holding. Two vials were in her fingers.

"No, not again. I was tricked last time. Now I have to teach him who he was before. I won't be tricked again." Freya rolled her eyes. He had every right to not trust her. "I'm here to help." She smiled. "I had a feeling this would happen." She took one of the vials from her fingers in her other hand. She held for Hiccup to see. It was blue and glowed just the same. "Give him this and he'll be fine."

Hiccup took it from her and eyed the potion.

"How can I trust you?" He asked. Freya gave him another small smile.

"I have no use of him if he can't remember anything. But his job is done so I don't really need him. Though I will be giving him a new task before I leave. You will get one as well." Hiccup didn't think to ask what she meant, not that he cared. He just wanted Toothless back. Hiccup raced over to Toothless, popping the cork he gestured for the dragon to drink it. Once empty he placed it to the side and waited. After a few seconds Toothless shook his head and his eyes dilated.

"Hiccup?" Toothless asked hesitantly. Hiccup wrapped his arms him.

"Please don't do that again." Hiccup whispered. Toothless chuckled.

"I'll try to not be tricked by the trickster god again." He swung his paw around 'hugging' Hiccup back. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at what he'd asked of him.

"Sorry. I was just so scared that you'd never be the same." Suddenly Toothless grunting and howling. "What's wrong!" Hiccup shrieked.

"My tail. It hurts so bad." Toothless complained. Hiccup ripped himself from Toothless grasp and turned towards the woman.

"What did you do to him!" Hiccup screamed at Freya. "You said you were here to help!" He rushed her, but she was too fast and much stronger than him. She grabbed him and turned him around.

"Look at his tail." She pointed to it. Hiccup looked for a moment before running over to get a closer look. Toothless stopped thrashing around as he took the healed tail fin in his hand. He turned back to Freya who was smirking.

"Now that, that's finished. Let me tell you a story…"


	8. Freya's story

"Now that, that's finished. Let me tell you a story. Please sit." She smiled. Hiccup did as he was told, sitting in front of the fire across from the woman.

"Now, this story is long, but I'll try to shorten it as much as possible. A long time ago Hel, who normally decides who goes to the underworld or to Valhalla came to us with a container. In the container were a pair of souls. Normally she would just send them on their way, wherever they were supposed to go but she could not separate them herself. She came to us with them as a gift. If they were undisturbed they would lazily circle each other. The next thing you'd notice about them are their colors. One was black, and the other white. They were very pretty to look at. I was allowed to keep them as my own. Neither soul had ever had a body. Small and helpless, neither would be able to defend the other, though I suspect if they ever got a chance, both would die for the other if they were pushed far enough.

One day I made a mistake. I hit their container, smashing it onto the floor. So frightened they both ran. I was only able to capture the black one and the other escaped. The first thing a soul will do is try to attach itself to something. As soon as it was out of my sight it was gone, finding something to live in.

The other soul would slam itself into the side of the new container I put it in. It had never been alone and needed to find its other half.

Have you ever heard of soulmates?" She asked. Hiccup nodded.

"If it wasn't obvious those two souls belonged together. Being separated like they were, was never supposed to happen. When I broke their container, they tried to escape together and I stopped that. I felt really bad for it, so I kinda let it go. I was able to keep track of it as it left to find its own body.

I watched as it chose a dragon's egg. I watched it when it hatched. It was sad. The parents shunned it away. Dark black scales and huge green eyes, a beautiful creature that wouldn't survive on its own. So I helped it until it was able to hunt and fish by itself. As it got older I noticed something odd. It was searching for something. It was obvious to me that it had started looking for its soulmate. I didn't want to interfere like when I separated them before. I told myself that if and when they were reunited I would come down and tell them the story of their being. So here we are. The black soul turned Night Fury, that I 'mothered'. And the white soul that escaped turned human. The most unlikely pair of two creatures I've ever seen. I am happy to see it though."

"We were supposed to be together?" Hiccup asked. Freya smiled and nodded. Hiccup sat back, leaning against Toothless. "Did you hear that bud? We were always going to be together. No matter what."

Toothless leaned down and nuzzled his friend. "Even if our meeting was happenstance and wasn't guaranteed, I have no regrets being here with you." Hiccup pulled him close, hugging him tight.

Releasing Toothless, Hiccup picked up the small vial from before. "What is this then, and you said that you were going to give us a job?." Freya nodded her head again.

"I wouldn't have to give that to you if you two were the same. Dragons or Humans. But since you're not I offer you the vial. If drinkin' it will give you more many things to make you more like your dragon." Hiccup and Toothless gave each other confused looks.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"If you drink the contents it will give you dragon scales, and a tail on the outside. Stomach, heart, lungs but you won't be able to breath fire, and bowels. You'll be able to eat and drink anything a dragon can. You're new scales will make you harder to be hurt and killed. They will be invisible and you won't look any different, except for the tail. That'll be hard to hide, but it will help you balance and help your movements become more precise, especially at high speed or in combat."

"So I'd be more like a dragon?"

"You'll be as close as I can get you. You can never be turned into one, otherwise I'd offer that."

"Will it hurt? Being changed like that?"

"Yes. You will feel like death has focused all his attention on you. You skin will feel like it's on fire and you inside will boil."

Hiccup rolled the vial in his fingers, taking in what she told them. The simple thought of being a dragon intrigued him greatly. The small amount of liquid sloshing around in the glass able to change his and Toothless' lives in an instant.

"I would like to give you my assignment before you drink that." Freya commented. Hiccup and Toothless returned their attentions to her. "Your job is simple. Protect each other. That is your assignment, for now." She stood, wiping her trousers and readjusting her armour pieces. She went around the fire to them. She cupped Toothless' and Hiccup's faces, then focused her attention on Hiccup.

"No matter your decision on drinking that, know that you made the right one. Whether you do or not. I'll take my leave now." She made her way to the door, and left.

Toothless and Hiccup sat in silence for a minute, eyeing the vial of liquid.

"What do you want to do?" Toothless asked. Hiccup shook the vial again.

"I don't know. I want to but she said all those terrible things about it. I think I'm going to. You're going to have to help me. I just need you to help as much as possible." Toothless nodded.

"I'll do everything I can."

Hiccup popped the small cork and drank the thick liquid, noting the sweet taste. They sat waiting for the effect to kick in. His stomach started to rumble unhappily. Grabbing Toothless' leg, the pain quickly escalated, radiating through his whole body. His nails dug into his friend's hide, turning up his scales. His screaming echoed off the walls as he doubled over vomiting.

The pain was somehow increased as a large lump formed at the base of his spine. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to brace himself for what was next. His skin exploded, spraying Toothless in blood. Hiccup crumpled into a heap, whimpering and crying at the remaining quakes and convulsions his body was being forced through.

"T-Toothless?" Hiccup asked weakly. "Is it? It is over?"

" Yeah, I think so. I'm sorry I couldn't help, Hiccup. I didn't know what to do." Toothless whined. "I'm so sorry."

"There was, ah, ow, nothing you could do. Toothless? Will you, mmph, be here when I, ow, wake up?"

"Of course I will be." Toothless whispered into his human's ear.

Once unconscious Toothless started his work. He stripped Hiccup of his clothes, trying his hardest not to rip them into pieces in the process and moved him away from the small pool of blood and vomit under him. Getting a better look at Hiccup, he noticed the changes. The large white tail was unmissable, but the texture of his skin had changed. what was once smooth skin, was had a slightly rough feel to it under his tongue. He slowly cleaned the blood from Hiccup's back, focusing on the area around his new tail and butt. After finishing on his legs, he flipped him onto his back.

He continued his work, cleaning his human. Licking vomit from his face and blood from his body. From head to tiny toe, Hiccup was clean. He gripped Hiccup's hand in his mouth and dragged him towards their sleeping area. Carefully curling himself around his transformed friend, keeping his new body warm. Pulling Hiccup flush against his body he slept.


	9. Healing

Toothless awoke late in the night. Their fire only smolders and ash in the pit. He didn't dare to shift himself, worried about hurting his human. He looked Hiccup over again, making sure he didn't miss any part of him from before. Looking over Hiccup made him think about how different they are. Size, shape, color, wings, head fluff, teeth, almost everything. He was distracted from his thoughts as he saw more blood that wasn't there before. His crotch, both their tails and there legs were all covered in half dried blood. Unhappily moving from his spot, he searched for the spot that was bleeding. He pulled back when he noticed that Hiccup's metal leg was missing, replaced by a real one.

'_He'll be happy about that when he wakes up.' _ Toothless thought to himself as he cleaned the new leg. Once finished, he looked himself over. Blood drops coated his scales, his lower half also covered in a fine layer. He couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous he must have looked.

He looked around the cabin, at the gaping hole in the wall, at the cold, ash filled fire pit, at his tail, fixed by the gods, and at his human, his soulmate. Someone who he was bound to be with no matter the situation. He quickly became overjoyed and couldn't help but nuzzle his human. He curled further around his pale friend, keeping him warm.

'_I love you, Hiccup' _Toothless thought happily. He couldn't believe himself. '_Of course I love him. For how long? Since we landed here? Earlier? When he made me the new tail, so that I could fly again? Does it matter when? Probably not. Coming to the realization is nice though.' _He laid his head down next to Hiccup's.

Hiccup woke up, hot and sweaty from the furnace around him. He tried to get up but he was still in too much pain and his arm gave out underneath him. The thud of him coming down startled his dragon awake.

"Hiccup what happen?" Toothless asked. Hiccup weakly turned to his side, placing his cold hands on Toothless' skin to warm them.

"I'm still to weak to do anything." Hiccup whispered. "And I still hurt all over."

Toothless chuckled as he nuzzled Hiccup again. "You went through a lot of trauma. You lost a lot of blood and have not eaten in almost a day. If you were able to move I would be surprised." Hiccup hummed weakly, agreeing with his friend. "Would you like me to tell you what you look like now?" Hiccup nodded. "Well lets see, your skin has changed, and you grew a tail, like she said. But you also grew your leg back, so you'll be able to walk normally again. Not look like such a fool trying to climb the mountain every day." Hiccup slapped him lightly.

"I wouldn't have looked that way if you carried me."

"Then you would have grown weak, and I wouldn't have been able to laugh at you." He laughed. "Remember the day you fell? I laughed so hard."

"Yeah, but you came running back down for me. Whining like you were the one hurt. And you carried me up the rest of the way that day." Hiccup whispered.

"Hmph. Well I don't like to see you hurt and we weren't having a good day anyway. So carrying you wasn't a big deal." Toothless said.

"Toothless? I'm hungry." Hiccup's stomach growled unhappily.

"I can tell. I will get you something from our reserve. We must be careful about eating through our stock though. I'm fine to hunt by myself but I'm still worried about your sire finding us. I don't want to be separated from you in this state." He got up and shook himself. He flexed his new tail fin as he made his way to their food store. He checked their supply of dried fish and game. Happy with the amount they had he plucked one out for himself, swallowing it whole. He nosed through some of the other, finding a smaller one for Hiccup. He found one for him and picked it out. He returned to his friend, who was curling in on himself. He laid down next to his shivering human who immediately pressed himself against his dragon.

"I got you one of the fish we caught a few days ago. She said that your stomach and teeth changed so you should have no problem eating this." He laid down allowing Hiccup to weakly grip his meal. Hiccup brought it to his mouth. He attempted to bite through the fish's thick skin but couldn't.

"I can't even eat, Toothless."

"Give it to me. I'll feed you like a hatchling." He took the fish from his human and began to chew it.

"Ew. I don't think I can eat that, Toothless. It's gross." Hiccup cringed at the thought.

"I have fed you like this before. I Just won't have to worry about you choking this time."

Hiccup sighed unhappily. He flipped onto his back.

"Alright Hiccup. Open your mouth." Hiccup complied to his dragon. Toothless slowly fed Hiccup the fish. He gagged at the chewed fish sliding down his throat. The fish was quickly downed and finished. Toothless laid the rest of the way down, closing his eyes.

"Are you okay? Do you feel weird or anything?" Toothless asked. Hiccup pressed himself against his dragon's heat.

"I feel better now that I've ate. Thanks for doing that for me." He whispered.

"Go to sleep. We will try to get you on your feet tomorrow. We need to fix the wall, and get more food before the freeze sets in. We barely made it last time." Hiccup weakly nodded into the dragon's chest.

The weeks quickly passed as Hiccup healed and grew used to his new body. He fixed their house and trained with Toothless. Toothless taught Hiccup how to hunt without a weapon. Hiccup embraced his new change and wanted to learn 'how to be a dragon' rather than being a friend to one. Their relationship skyrocketed as the weeks went on. Each day it grew colder until the snow began to fall on their island.


	10. Hiccup's Birthday pt1

Toothless pulled in his last kill before the snow set in. He dropped it just inside the door.

"Hiccup did you get enough fish?" Hiccup didn't answer him. He was sitting in front of the window he created to replace the hole in their wall. Tears streaked down his cheeks and the cold wind blowing in his face threatening to freeze them to his skin. Toothless rushed to close the window and check on Hiccup.

"Hiccup what's wrong?" He asked hurriedly. He nudged his human out of his state.

"Toothless? I don't. I'm sorry you had to see that." He turned away from the dragon's intense stare.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know what day it is?" Hiccup asked. Toothless walked away, back towards his kill.

"It's the day the freeze sets in. And we need to finish our prep so that we know if we have to risk going out tomorrow. Now come on we need count how much you caught and skin this deer." Hiccup nodded weakly and stood. He crossed the room, grabbing a knife and began to skin and bleed Toothless' deer. They both slowly worked finishing their jobs as the sun slowly fell below their mountain.

Toothless came back into the house with the last of the wood for the freeze.

"Hiccup are you finished?" Toothless asked. Hiccup nodded and held up the skin. "Good. We can dry the skin and use it in the sleeping area in a few days."

"Okay. Sure."

"Are you hungry?"

"yeah."

Toothless rummaged through Hiccup's fresh catch of fish. He ate one then grabbed one for Hiccup. Hiccup took it from his mouth and ate it without saying a thing. After he was finished he tossed what wasn't eaten outside in the snow. He closed the door, crossed the room towards Toothless. He stood in front of the dragon.

"Do you know what day it is?" Hiccup asked.

"I already told you. It's the day the freeze sets in."

"It's my birthday, Toothless." Hiccup sat down instead of laying with Toothless. He wrapped his arms around his legs.

Toothless looked down on his glum friend.

"What does it mean to you? You're birthday." Toothless asked.

"Before. When I still lived on Berk, my birthday was the only time I was treated like everyone else. We missed it last year when we were dying . I just... it's really important to me." Toothless nudged him, getting his attention.

"Is that why you weren't making eye contact or talking to me?" Hiccup nodded. "I'm sorry Hiccup. I knew it was important to you but there is something you need to know." Hiccup cocked his head, giving Toothless a confused look.

"What?"

"Your birthday is tomorrow, Hiccup." Toothless said. Hiccup's mouth hung slack jawed.

"Are you serious?" He asked. Toothless nodded quickly. "I. I can't believe. I was so sure my birthday was today. Are you sure?" Toothless nodded again. "I'm sorry."

"Hiccup can you ask you something?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Why is your birthday so important to you. I understand that it's important to everyone but there must be a reason you were so upset that you wouldn't even acknowledge me."

Hiccup moved forward, crawling towards Toothless' side. He adjusted himself next to his dragon, getting comfortable.

"Listen Toothless I don't know if dragons celebrate birthdays but to Vikings they're important. There days to remember who was still with us. We would lose so many people during the year that it's hard to remember who still alive. So a birthday was more to enjoy that person's company. Be happy for them and their friends. It's nice.

But before. When I said that I used to be treated the same. That's not entirely true. When I was a kid, my birthday was the biggest event on the island. I was the chief's son. I was supposed to be the shining light of know. I'm the son of Stoick the Vast.

That changed when I turned ten. I woke up that morning expecting people to 'surprise' me and we'd have a big party with the other kids. But when I walked out no one was their. I thought surely they were outside, so I went outside and nothing. I went looking for my dad and when I found him he'd forgotten that it was my birthday. So from that day I make sure to celebrate. Normally by myself. I thought it was today. How? How did you know it's tomorrow?" Toothless nuzzled the back of his human's head.

"You acted like this a year ago, but I didn't ask about it. It was weird because you had never acted liked that before. So I made sure to keep track of it incase it became an issue. And you just told me that you thought it was your birthday. And you won't have celebrate by yourself. We'll do something for your birthday tomorrow. Okay?" Hiccup flipped onto his side, facing Toothless. He nodded slowly into his chest.

Hiccup fell asleep, allowing Toothless to think. 'I'm happy I defused that. If he found out. I don't know what I'd do. Good night Hiccup.'


	11. Hiccup's Birthday pt2

"Morning Hiccup." Toothless whispered. Hiccup grumbled deep in his throat.

"Five more minutes."

"Whatever you say. Birthday boy." Toothless laid back down, happy about getting some more sleep.

"Birthday boy? Oh right I am! What are we going to do today? We don't really have much to do here. And everything is all frozen outside, and being warm is much nicer than being frozen, so that's out." Hiccup pondered what they were going to do.

"Well you said five more minutes so I'm taking it. But after that we'll do anything you want." Toothless mumbled. Hiccup chuckled, as he laid back down as well. He placed himself right in front of Toothless' face. He watched his dragon slumber. He was enchanted by his friend's peacefulness, but knew better than to think there wasn't a billion things running through the dragon's head.

He also knew that mating season was still in full swing and that the only think keeping him safe was Toothless' will. He feared that one wrong brush, or scratching him for too long or too well would break Toothless' hold on himself. He didn't want to get hurt and they both knew if something would happen it would be difficult to move forward. They would end up walking a narrow path from that point on.

Hiccup didn't know what to think anymore. He didn't think Toothless noticed that even he was feeling the effects of mating season. After being changed the burning deep inside started. Then after the day he caught Toothless rutting into a hole he dug, he almost burst. He had to run but couldn't help the tent he was pitching. He found a secure spot that Toothless wouldn't find him and took care of himself. Thinking about what he saw the whole time. Afterwards he felt dirty. He didn't know if he should tell Toothless about it or not. He wasn't sure about how the dragon would respond to that.

Toothless opened his eyes to see Hiccup having a small panic attack. He drug the boy close to himself, purring as he did.

"What's wrong Hiccup? You can't be sad on your birthday." He soothed.

Hiccup laid there, almost in tears. He was so confused about what he wanted and didn't know if he should tell Toothless or not. His small panic attack blew up. He started sobbing loudly, trying to clutch onto something. Toothless didn't know how to help but he tried his best to calm Hiccup down. Toothless purred louder and curled in closer.

"Hiccup what's wrong?" He pleaded. He worried that Hiccup had figured out that he lied about yesterday and was freaking out about it, or that he was regretting his change to the odd half dragon he is.

Hiccup's breathing slowed and he started to control his crying. He slowly pushed himself away from Toothless just far enough to look at him through his still tear filled eyes. He could tell that his friend was deeply concerned about him and about what had happened. Hiccup licked the salt from his lips. With his mind made up at least a little he decided to jump and hope that he didn't hit the ground. He swallowed hard as he spoke.

"Toothless?" The dragon focused more on him, making Hiccup feel itchy. "What I'm going to say is going to sound messed up. And when I say it. Toothless, what I'm going to to say _is _going to change what we are. If there is some slim chance that we won't fall apart or become awkward around each other… Well here's to hoping. A few weeks back I saw you trying to uhm hump a hole you dug. I didn't see much but I…" Toothless cut him off.

"You saw that! Oh gods Hiccup, I thought I was somewhere you wouldn't find me. It's just with mating season and everything."

"Toothless let me finish." The dragon stopped his panic filled apology. "I couldn't get it out of my head and I kinda had to, you know, myself. I didn't want to tell you but it was eating me up. I felt like I was on fire and the only way to put it out was that. Toothless I think that the change is making me feel the effects of mating season." Hiccup face flushed. He thought his head was going to pop.

"Hiccup there's something I need to tell you about that day." Toothless whispered. Hiccup looked up, confused. "I was thinking about you when you caught me." Toothless paused for a second and took a deep breath. "HiccupI'velovedyousincethedaywemetandIwantyoutobemymate." He squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the boy to blow up at him.

As expected Hiccup bolted upright. He didn't move away from Toothless though.

"You what?" He questioned.

"Okay so I've been thinking about this for longer than you'd like. What Freya told us made me think. She basically confirmed that I'm the only one of my kind. I didn't want you to worry so I hid how I felt about that. It made me feel alone, even with you being right there every second. I think that if I take a mate that I'll feel less alone. I would see other dragons with their mates and they were all so happy. It's not rare in our culture to find someone perfect for you. You just know who it'll be right when you meet them. It's some weird since we have for each other. Hiccup you're that perfect match. Freya said it herself we're soul mates, a set of people who under any circumstances would be together. I think that we're meant to be more than friends Hiccup. I think we're supposed to me more than two runaways who fear for their lives every day. I think…"

"I get it Toothless." Hiccup stated. "I just don't know what it's like. Like what would I compare it to?"

"Dragon's mate for life Hiccup. The decision is final."

"So it's like being married? But there's no way out if you don't work out."

"Mates rarely don't work out. Dragons know their perfect match right from the beginning."

Hiccup stared blankly passed Toothless, running everything through his head. He went all the way back to when they first met. When he almost ended his friend's life. Then when they had to run for their lives and the immediate hardships afterward. He remembered the day they completed their house and the harsh winter that followed it. Everything up to where they were now. He realized that after the first few weeks together that Toothless had made himself Hiccup's guardian. He would do anything Hiccup said without a second thought, without any regrets. Do this, do that, kill him, her, whoever, as long as Hiccup said to. It was Toothless' way of showing him complete trust. A devotion to the one he loved.

Hiccup also figured out why he felt so weird and nervous around his friend. He blinked slowly and mentally berated himself.

"Toothless?" Hiccup whispered. Toothless looked up him. "I think I want to be your mate. I just didn't know what to say before. I do now. I love you Toothless. I want to be the one that you wake up to every morning and the one you say goodnight to. You're already kinda my everything so adding being my mate doesn't change us much, other than I don't have to hide that away from you anymore. I don't have to suppress my feelings."

Toothless jumped at Hiccup pinning him to the ground. He licked and nuzzled his mate.

"Thank you Hiccup! You don't know how happy this makes me. I love you Hiccup. I love you."


	12. Leaving Our Santuary

The weeks quickly passed and the snow melted. Their island was in full bloom. They were spending the day doing small repairs, relaxing, and enjoying themselves. Toothless was rolling around in a patch of dragon nip they planted next to the house. While Hiccup was finishing some repairs that occurred during their last fight. It wasn't anything big but the combination of rotted wood and flying fish doesn't mix. They had a good laugh about the this morning.

The sun was low. Just dipping below the horizon. The smell of smoke filled the air but neither gave it any mind, thinking the old had just started the night's fire. Toothless rose to his feet, stretching his toes and back. He saw Hiccup coming up the hill with kindling in his arms.

"Have you not started the fire?" Toothless asked. Hiccup cocked his head, confused.

"Obviously not. I wouldn't have kindling under my arm if I did. And look inside, do you see the glow of a fire?"

Toothless peered behind himself. It was true Hiccup hadn't started the fire.

"Why do I smell smoke then Hiccup?"

"I don't know? Could it be the wind blowing it from another island? Maybe someone is passing through and stopped on the island. As long as we stay cool nothing will happen."

Toothless caught something behind Hiccup. He charged Hiccup, knocking him down then standing over him.

"TOOTHLESS! What is wrong with you?" He whisper yelled.

"Shhh!" Toothless sniped. "I saw something. I think it was a torch. Let's hope you're right about those passers by."

Hiccup flipped onto his stomach trying to get a better look.

"Go inside." Hiccup whispered. "If they see a dragon they're going to run. We can't risk something like that."

Toothless didn't move an inch. He didn't want anything to happen to his mate. Hiccup shuffled from underneath Toothless and stood.

"Toothless I'll be fine, just go."

The dragon huffed. "Fine. But I'm not letting you out of my sight. If anything goes wrong I'm going to act."

"That's fair."

Toothless slithered off into the house. He hid himself in the shadows but could easily be see everything through the doorway. Hiccup peered forward to find the torch Toothless was talking about. He not only saw one, but more than a dozen. He stepped back towards his house. He could hear the people yelling from the forest. It took the party over an hour to get near them. The Sun was gone and the torches grew brighter.

A group of the people found Hiccup. They gasped, one almost dropping his weapon.

"It's him." One whispered.

"Get the chief." Said another.

"No need." Boomed a voice Hiccup never wanted to hear again. "Hiccup? What a surprise." His father mocked.

"Leave this place." Hiccup growled.

"You know I can't do that. I've come to take the dragon."

A fire rose in Hiccup's body. He decided the heat was good and that the anger that came with it was better.

"What dragon?"

"You know damn well what dragon, now hand him over Hiccup. Or I will take him." Stoick tried to stare down his former son. It was a great way to shut him down before.

"If any of you take one step closer, I'll cut you to pieces. That's a promise." Hiccup splayed out his fingers showing off his filed down, razor sharp nails.

Stoick laughed at Hiccup. "What do you plan to do with those? Scratch me to death? Horrace." Stoick called. "Show this traitor what it means to be dangerous."

A large angry man with an axe charged Hiccup. Hiccup didn't move an inch or flinch when the giant man ran at him. He got ready to strike. When the man was in range Hiccup struck the man, leaving three large holes in his throat. Before the man died his horrified eyes told the whole story. Hiccup flicked the blood from his hand.

"A lot has changed since you last saw me. I'm stronger and faster, I'm not afraid to of anything anymore. Not even in the face of the gods will I flinch."

The tense mood was broken by Tuffnut. "Look he has a tail." He pointed and laughed. Followed by his sister.

"He wants to be a dragon so bad he made himself a tail? What a loser." Snotlout chimed in. The three laughed again. Hiccup chuckled.

"You brought them? That means they're old enough to go on raids. Are they all here?" Hiccup asked. Fishlegs poked out from behind Stoick, while Astrid pushed herself to the front.

"Hello Fishlegs. Astrid." He sneered. "You know I wouldn't be in this situation if you kept your mouth shut. I had it all under control until you ratted me out to my dad."

"Under control!?" She yelled. "You have a pet dragon, who almost got us killed. That isn't control Hiccup. It's delusional. And what's with the fake tail? Just because you have a dragon doesn't make you one." Astrid mocked.

"Fake?" He swished his tail around angerly. "This is as real as it gets."

The group of Vikings backed away slightly. Whispers calling Hiccup a demon quickly moved all the way down the hill.

"I don't care what he is!" shouted Snotlout. He pushed people out of his way, moving out past everyone else and into Hiccup's range. "I don't care what you are. You're still Hiccup. Useless little Hiccup." He laughed cockney, while brandishing his sword. Hiccup smiled to himself.

"Toothless." Hiccup called. "Bring me my sword."

"Don't you think you're taking this too far Hiccup?" Toothless asked. Hiccup sighed to himself. The raid party old heard deep growls coming from the cabin.

"Yes, but we need to show them that coming after us, after all this time was a mistake. We need to stay safe and now that they know where we are we must move on. Grab my bag in the corner along with my sword. Quickly." Toothless did as he was asked, moving silently and effectively. He was outside in just a few seconds. Hiccup carefully pulled the sword from Toothless' mouth. With his other hand he cupped Toothless' head.

"This is just how it has to be." He turned back towards Snotlout. "Now that it's a fair fight. I challenge you to a duel."

Toothless moved away from Hiccup ready to do what was needed. He was going to make sure no one interfered. Placing the bag down he charged a plasma bolt, ready for anyone who dared move.

Snotlout screamed his head off as he charged Hiccup. He swung wildly and untrained. Hiccup couldn't predict his movement at all. He mistepped getting himself cut. Snotlout stepped back admiring his work.

"See what did I tell you?" He boasted. Hiccup grabbed his arm. He felt for the cut. Once he found it he traced his finger along the inside. It was long but not very deep. He would be able to bandage it after the fight.

Once ready it was his turn to attack. His attacks where just as random as Snotlout's but more precise. Each strike causing small cuts between Snotlout's armour. His final blows came in the form of Snotlout being unable to focus from the pain and a decision to make him an example. Hiccup plunged his sword through his chest piece. He pushed until his sword was all the way through Snotlout. Even then he pushed until his hilt was touching the thin metal armour, his blade pushed into the earth, unwanting to come out.

"I told you to leave. And now you have to tell not only this man's wife and potential child that's he's dead." He pointed to the over zealous man who attacked him before. "But also Snotlout's parents. I hope you're happy you found me because it didn't do anything for you and now we have to leave. I just got things back together too."

Hiccup walked over to Toothless and picked up his bag. "Don't waste that on them Toothless. Use it to set the house on fire. We're leaving. Again."

He pulled bandages from his bag. Toothless shot the house, making it instantly start up. Hiccup quickly wrapped up his arm before starting down the hill.

"Where do you think you're going?" Stoick shouted. Hiccup didn't know, another island he supposed.

"I wouldn't follow us. You already have to have two funerals when you get back to Berk." Hiccup started down the hill again, Toothless quietly walking next to him. Neither one said a word as they disappeared into the trees.


	13. Back Were We Began

Once on the other side of the island they stopped. They both looked through the forest. The light from the torches flickering in and out from behind the trees. He knew they wouldn't come after them, but they would search the island just in case. He sat down anyway. The sand and dirt oozed through his toes, and the sea he was looking to was calm.

"Toothless? Do you think I went to far? I think I went over board. I didn't have to do that." He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his head on them. Toothless laid down behind him, wrapping himself around Hiccup.

"Yes, you did go too far. Though I think you also needed to do what you did. From what you told me people dying isn't uncommon." Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's neck. "You were protecting us and I can't blame you for that. We were ordered to keep each other alive." Toothless tried to comfort his mate, who had started to sob quietly. "Hey it's going to be okay. We made it the first time, barely knowing each other, barely able to trust each other, couldn't talk to each other, and were older, wiser. It not going to be easy, but it'll be easier than last time. And maybe we'll end up somewhere, where the winter isn't so harsh."

Hiccup chuckled to himself. "Do you promise? I think I'd like that."

"I can't promise anything but I'd like that too. We always have trouble in the winter. No matter how much preparation we do." Toothless chuckled.

Hiccup pulled Toothless' head over his shoulder and kissed the side of his mouth.

"Thanks bud." Hiccup looked into the woods. The torches were getting closer but he wasn't worried. They could easily escape without any issue. "Toothless I'm tired now. That fight took me out." He leaned into his dragon, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "If they come too close wake me up and we'll go. I won't be able to do anything right now."

Toothless didn't like that they hadn't already left. There was nothing left for them on their island. Only the danger of Hiccup's father finding them again. He let Hiccup sleep for longer than he should have. The torches were in the last few rows of trees before he woke Hiccup. He sharply pushed Hiccup, waking him.

"I've let you sleep for too long. We must leave right now."

Hiccup groggily stood up and climbed onto Toothless' back.

"Alright bud." Hiccup yawned. "Let's get out of here." He held on tight as Toothless shot into the air.

"Which way?" Toothless yelled over the sound of his beating wings. Hiccup pointed randomly in a direction. Toothless was satisfied with the decision. He flew in the direction he was told to go until he found an island to land on. Hiccup was barely awake when they landed.

"Hiccup I've found a place we can rest tonight. I think we're too far away for them to follow us. I don't think they saw us either so we're fine." Toothless laid down in the grass. He liked the cool and slightly damp feel on his scales. A nice change from being dry and warm every night. Hiccup sat in front of him, leaning against his stomach like normal.

"Feels weird not being in our house. I wish we were. It was warm there." He leaned into Toothless more, placing his hands between himself and Toothless to warm his fingers.

"Your body is cold love." Toothless curled around Hiccup and placed a wing over him creating a small room.

"Don't go all over protective on me Toothless" Hiccup giggled.

"Don't think you're invincible because of your change. You can still get sick and being sick right now would not be good."

Hiccup sighed loudly as he laid down on the leg Toothless provided him.

"Don't be that way Hiccup. You know that I'm not allowed to let anything happen to you. Even if I wasn't told to do it be someone else I'd still do this. It's my job as your mate."

Hiccup's breath hitched. "I love you Toothless."

"And I you my love." They both quickly fell asleep.

The morning came quickly but they slept through that and well into the afternoon. They were awoken by a group of Nadders squawking loudly near them. Toothless woke first, annoyed from being rudely awoken. He didn't want to disturb Hiccup so he listened to the Nadders instead.

"Have you heard? The queen is sick. I even heard that she doesn't think that she will make it through the rest of the spring."

No. Are you sure?"

The first Nadder nodded her head. While the second couldn't believe it. Toothless didn't like that they had randomly flown back into the Queen's area. He looked down at Hiccup and wondered if the queened called for the dragon, if he would be affected. He also wondered if he would be able to resist her call himself. He feared that he would mistake Hiccup as just another viking and blindly attack him. He shuddered at the thought.

'I don't know what I'd do. I won't allow anything to happen to him. Not while I live.' He watched the group of Nadders fly away. He watched Hiccup sleep a little longer before he woke up. Hiccup slowly woke and emerged from his small shelter. He shoot and stretched, while turning to Toothless.

"What's up bud? You look worried about something." He cupped his dragon's face. "Is everything okay?"

Toothless sighed. "There was a group of Nadders that passed by. One of them said that the Queen was sick and wouldn't live for long."

"Isn't that good?" Hiccup asked.

"Well yes but it means that we're in her territory again. She could call out to the dragons and I'm worried that you'll be affected by it. Even if you aren't, I still am. If she calls I could attack you. I don't want to hurt you. I don't know what I'd do if I did. I'd. I'd."

"You'd do nothing." Hiccup poked Toothless between the eyes. "I'm inside there don't you remember. We're in each other's heads. I'm not worried. I'm the voice in your head. If she calls I will over power her. You're not hers to control. Not anymore."

"Hiccup, I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. I promised you a long time ago that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I intend to follow through on that. You'll just have to trust me."

"You know I have no issue trusting you. When you say you're going to do something you do it. This is just another one of those things."

"Toothless, I love you bud."

"I love you too Hiccup."


	14. Chapter 14

Hiccup looked at his dragon. He slyly smiled at him too. Toothless sighed.

"I don't like that look Hiccup. Your thinking about something dangerous." The dragon scolded.

"Oh come on Toothless. You don't think we could take on one sick dragon? I mean come on, how hard could it be?"

"You've never seen her Hiccup. She's taller than trees and bigger than the houses on your old island. Even if she is sick, she'll be tough, smart and way faster than you'd think."

"Well we have to something Toothless. We can't just sit around. She lives in Helheim's gate right? They wouldn't be able to follow us there. We would finally be truly safe."

"I just don't know Hiccup. Maybe I could convince her to let us stay there but not likely. We would probably have to run for our lives."

"Toothless I think we have to risk it. I just don't feel safe anymore. Please don't think it's because I don't think you can protect me. It's just that I don't want them to find us again. I promised to protect you and if we can live there, we would be the most protected possible."

Toothless sighed. He couldn't believe he was about agree with going back to the place he escaped. His mind instantly went to the worst situations possible. Having to grovel and beg wasn't something he liked to do but for his mate he'd swallow his pride. Hiccup moved over to him. Placing his hand on the dragon's head.

"Hey!" Hiccup snapped him out of his thought. "It's going to be okay. Okay? Listen if you don't think it would work than just say so. I know it's a bad idea but if we weren't outside I don't think we would have made it. They would have just broke in or smoked us out. We got lucky. I don't like that."

"I know. I know. I just don't know how she'll react. I've been gone for almost three years. I was her greatest tool. I strike fear into everything I come across. Except you. How do you think she would react to knowing that a human broke her control over me?"

Hiccup laughed and flexed both his arms.

"She'd probably be pretty mad." Hiccup said lightly. "I know I would be." He laughed. Toothless rolled his eyes.

"Please be serious Hiccup."

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood. We're going to end up stressing ourselves out and doing nothing. Maybe we should stay here again tonight. Figure out what we should do before making our move." Toothless did like that idea. But he thought about the people hunting them down.

"What about your dad? He's still looking for us. What if he finds us?"

"They're probably going back to Berk. Two of their people died. They'll have to go back and have funerals for them. It would be irresponsible for my father to not give them that. So we'll be fine unless we flew closer to Berk and they happen to land here and then happen to find us. The only reason I suggested going to the Queen's nest is so that we have safety in the future. We're fine tonight. I promise."

Toothless visibly loosened his muscles. He sighed happily.

"I knew you'd like that." Hiccup laughed. He jumped onto his dragon's back, hugging him tightly around the neck. That didn't last very long as Toothless bucked him off. Hiccup rolled away before standing. Toothless crouched down facing his opponent. Hiccup ran at his dragon getting low so he could get under him and knock off his center of gravity. Toothless raised his Paw and struck down on the back of Hiccup's head. Hiccup slide on his face until he passed Toothless entirely.

"You go for that every time Hiccup. You need to change your approach." Hiccup pushed himself up, face bloody and body covered in abrasions. Toothless spun on his front leg, bracing himself for Hiccup's next attack. Hiccup ran at him again trying to trick his dragon. Just before he reached the large beast he stopped. Toothless swiped low again expecting the same thing. Hiccup placed a hand on the top of Toothless' head, lunging himself onto the dragon's back. He spun around and began to strike at the back of Toothless' head. The dragon dodged the first two strikes by getting lucky. The third strike hit him square in the head. His sight flashed white for a second. He shook his head and rolled over. Hiccup fell from his position and before he could react he was pinned down. Toothless nuzzled under Hiccup's chin.

"You get better everytime. Soon we'll be able to fight on level ground. I liked what you did for your second attack. I wasn't expecting that. Things like that keep your opponent guessing. It increases your chances of living." He took his Paw off his small human. He laid down, pawing at where Hiccup hit him. Hiccup jumped up. He went around to the dragon's head to check on him.

"Did I get you too hard?" He ran his fingers over the dark skin.

"I wasn't expecting it, I'll tell you that." Toothless laughed. "And don't worry about hitting me too hard. I'm resilient and it's going to take more than that to bring me down."

"You're avoiding the question Toothless. Did I hurt you?"

"It's definitely bruised. But I'll live, I think." Hiccup climbed on top of his friend. He spread himself out, placing his cheek on Toothless' shoulder. He reached up and rubbed the dragon's neck and behind his ear. Toothless purred loudly, vibrating his whole body. Hiccup giggled to himself. He liked the feeling of the vibrations and Toothless scales against his skin. It made him feel at home. Like that's where he belonged. Toothless shifted under Hiccup so he could look at him.

"You're asking me if I'm fine? Look at yourself. Did I hurt you?" Hiccup ran his other hand over himself. He looked at his hand finding streaks of blood.

"And your head too Hiccup." Hiccup found a cut in his forehead and hissed when he accidentally reopened it.

"If I wasn't underneath you I'd clean you up."

Hiccup hummed happy. He liked the intimate feeling of Toothless' tongue. His arm got tired so he dropped it to scratch Toothless' chest.

"So what do you think the rest of our life is going to be like?" Hiccup asked lazily. Toothless huffed while he thought.

"Well if we go through with going to the Queen's nest. We'll probably have a tough time. If we don't, we can go south, island hop for awhile. Find a place to live, build a house again. Live like we were. Other than that? I hope that it gets a little easier. We've been cutting it too close for too long."

"Yeah. We don't do well in the winter do we?"

"We did better than our first year. We just need to prepare better. I think we underestimate how much we eat and drink. If we prepared earlier we probably would have been fine."

Hiccup hummed, agreeing with Toothless.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

"Let's just stay like this. I'm feeling lazy. We don't get to do that everyday." Toothless responded. Hiccup closed his eyes. Toothless watched him until Hiccup was asleep then went to sleep himself.


	15. Random Hiatus update

I know I haven't updated this in a while. That is because I am focusing on a short story that can't be posted here on . I will resume updating this in around a month or so. If it takes longer than I will create another update. I have not given up on my ff and will finish my current stories.


	16. Hiatus over, more or less

Hiccup woke up slowly. He slipped from his dragon's back and started walking towards where he'd seen a pool of water while they were flying.

"Where do you think you're going?" Toothless called out. Hiccup's body turned pink. Toothless stretched and trotted up to his human. He licked Hiccup's stomach and chest. Hiccup shivered when he pulled away from the assaulting tongue.

"You know that I hate when you do that." Hiccup whined as he wiped the spit from his stomach. Toothless laughed in his throat as he walked around Hiccup.

"So where were you headed?" Toothless asked again.

"I saw a pond while we were flying in. I was going to see if I couldn't get something to eat from it and then wash up. Since you're awake you should get clean too." Toothless nodded his head and followed his friend to the small pond. When they reached the small clearing, Toothless immediately jumped in. He searched for fish near the bottom of the pool. He found a few good sized fish and snatched them up. He returned to the surface to find Hiccup setting up a fire. He shook the water from his scales.

"Look what I found." Toothless boasted through his teeth. Hiccup took his breakfast from Toothless and skewered a stick through it. Toothless quickly swallowed his other catch and returned to the water. After catching a few more for his own breakfast he went back to Hiccup. Hiccup had just started to eat as Toothless rejoined him.

"How was your meal Toothless?" Hiccup picked the skin from his fish as Toothless lazily flopped down beside the fire.

"It was fine. The water felt pretty nice too." Toothless hummed. Hiccup ate slowly as he normally did. Making sure to pick out all the small bones so that he didn't hurt himself on them. He finished his meal, stood, stretched, and headed for the water. The dragon quietly watched as Hiccup entered the water. He couldn't help himself but to watch as Hiccup bathed himself on the shallow beach.

"Hiccup if you don't go all the way into the water, I'm going to come over there and mount you." Toothless yelled. Hiccup's body flushed pink and he suddenly felt self conscious about his nudity. He covered his genitals and butt, trying to hide himself from his dragons hungry eyes.

"Toothless! You pervert! I can't believe you would say that. You know I'm still trying to get used to being like this." He sat down in the water and pulled his knees up to his face. He tried not to think about how much his life changed after he drank the mysterious liquid. Toothless rushed over to him, surrounding the half human in his warmth.

"Hiccup, look at me." Toothless nudged his face against the top of Hiccup's head. The boy lifted his head but still didn't make eye contact with the large black creature. "Hiccup you shouldn't be embarrassed when I say stuff like that to you. If I had my way we'd fool around all day everyday. You make me crazy and I have to force myself to stay calm when I'm around you. Which is all the time. You're beautiful and I love every inch of your body. I know that the change has been hard for you and everything going on with your dad and now we're going to go do something crazy later today. But you should feel proud that it's been almost four years and you haven't died. Not only have you not died but you've lived without fear with a creature that could have snapped. You even saved me from starving to death. You done so much for me Hiccup." Hiccup finally looked up at his mate. He placed his hand on the dragon's chest.

"I wasn't worried about you. Even when we were at our worst. Fighting every time we saw each other, hating each other's guts, starving, running out of water. You still held it down, kept yourself under control. You never laid a claw on me. You're never going to snap and hurt me. It can't get any worse than it did back then. Not even the Queen's nest will be that bad. We'll just need a way of escaping in case it does go as bad as we think it will. Then we'll go to a warmer island, far away from this place. Live in peace, never have to worry again." Hiccup whispered. Toothless hummed deep in his chest.

"Than why are we going to her nest anyway?"

"I want to go there because I feel that we'd be safer in a place they could never go. Even on an island far away they would come searching for us. They want us dead after what I did."

" You know that I won't let that happen Hiccup. No one will hurt you." Toothless nuzzled his human. "Now finish bathing yourself and we'll set off." He unwrapped himself and stood. Hiccup shielded himself from the onslaught of water droplets being thrown every which way. When Toothless was finished shaking himself dry he went to lay next to their fire. Abiding by what his dragon had said to him earlier, Hiccup jumped into the deep water. He swam around back and forth, taking his time until he dunked himself under the water and scrubbed his scalp with his claws. He washed his body, getting under his subtle yet prevalent scales. He soon finished cleaning himself and climbed out of the water. He met up with Toothless who started to lick his stomach and chest. Hiccup resigned from trying to fight Toothless on doing this every time he bathed. Toothless had explained that it was so other dragons knew that he was already claimed. He'd also explained that the more they touched, the more their scents would mix. Toothless loved how Hiccup smelled. His scent had never changed, earthy with a sharp metal smell and smoke mixed in. For Toothless it was intoxicating. Hiccup tried to smell it himself but never could. He did like the way Toothless smelled though. It was musty, like an old book.

It reminded Hiccup of a time when he would read his mom's old books. Even though he couldn't really understand the whole story most of the time he still tried. He often thought about writing his own book someday, but he doubted that at this point in his life that he even remembered enough about his old language to write it.


	17. Chapter 17

Toothless broke his human's thought about writing a book.

"Are you ready to go Hiccup? We need to get going so we can get there today." Hiccup slowly stood and wrapped his arms around the dragon's neck.

"I'm as ready as I can be." He slipped into Toothless' back and they set out. The day was clear while they fly towards the wall of fog. Toothless set down in a small rock poking out of the ocean.

"Are you sure about this Hiccup? We could just leave if you want. Go far away and never look back." He looked up into the fog, knowing the way through it. His voice was weak, barely above a whisper. Hiccup absently scratched at the dragon's neck, also looking into the fog.

"Now that we're here, I won't lie to you, Toothless. I'm not so sure anymore. One part of me says suck it up and go in. But the other says that we're making a huge mistake and it would be easier to just go away." Hiccup choked up. "I just, just don't know anymore. I know we'll be safe in there, I can just feel it. If I'm wrong. We could get hurt or, die. If you died, I'd, I couldn't live, I'd kill mys…" Toothless shook Hiccup from his back.

"Don't say things like that. I'm not going to die." Hiccup folded in on himself and started to cry. "Oh come on Hiccup don't cry. Please?"

"I just can't. If you died I don't know what I'd do. When you're not around I can't focus. You're always there for me, even if I'm being an asshole. You never complain. When I was sick, you took care of me. Toothless I can't function without you." Toothless sighed to himself as he laid down.

"You know I don't know how to deal with you when you're like this. I know you're scared and I know feel like throwing up and I know you feel like your head is going to explode. Hiccup if you don't want to go through with this we don't have to. But this is the last time you can say no. Otherwise we go in and we will have to deal with what happens. And since I know that you still want to go in I'm going to set some ground rules." Toothless shuffled over towards Hiccup while the boy looked up. "Rule one. Listen to everything I say and follow any directions I give you. Two. If I tell you to run. Run. Don't second guess me. Don't try to save me. Run and don't look back. Please."

"But Toothless!"

"No Hiccup!" The dragon shouted. He instantly calmed down. "I won't lose you. You think that you can't live without me? Do you think that I don't feel that way too? Do you think that I wouldn't end myself if you died? You always wonder what you bring to our relationship but never ask me. Do you want that answer before we go in?" Hiccup nodded. "This might sound weird to you but all I want from you, is you. My life was chaos before I met you, and then you brought your own chaos but after we ran away I learned a lot more about you than I ever imagined, and I felt things that I never thought possible. You changed the way I thought about the world around me. I opened my eyes and actually saw what I was looking at. And it happens that I enjoy looking at you. And because of that I was forced to listen to you and it turns out that I liked doing that too. Then when I thought it couldn't get better, I admitted to myself that I had fallen in love. Then you changed and for me, you became even more attractive and the first time we mated. I can't lose that Hiccup."

"Is all that true? You're not just trying to make me feel better?"

"Hiccup I have not and never will lie to you. Trust is very important to me. Your trust is even more so." Toothless pressed his face into his human's side. "Without your trust I'd be even less than if I let you die."

"Is that why you're always so cautious around me? So that you won't lose any of my trust?" Toothless looked away from Hiccup. He was ashamed that Hiccup had figured that out.

"Yes. I just don't want to push you too far and put you in a situation that you don't feel comfortable or even safe. I didn't know how you would act so not pushing you was easier. I didn't do it because I thought you'd trust me less. I didn't even think about that."

"I don't know what to say Toothless. Maybe I should thank you for thinking about me."

"I'm always thinking about you Hiccup. Well it's time to go. This is the last time that i'm going to ask you this. Are you sure that you want to go into the fog and face the queen?"

"Yes."


	18. Into the Night 17

Hiccup slowly climbed onto Toothless' back. He hugged himself close against the warmth. Toothless started their way into the dense fog. Hiccup barely looked up and around at the huge spires jutting out from the sea beneath them. After some time Hiccup heard Toothless set down on a pile of rocks. When he looked up he saw almost no fog and a huge mountain covered in black rocks. Hiccup slid off from his dragon and almost lost his footing as the rocks slid under him. Toothless caught him just in time.

"Heh. Thanks bud What is this place?"

"This is where the queen lives. That's why we're here right? That was you who wanted to come face her."

"Yes of course. I just didn't expect this. It's beautiful here."

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. More spikes or something." Hiccup giggled.

"Really? You act like dragons are some sort of savage."

"I just wasn't expecting this."

Toothless and Hiccup walked around the large island. Hiccup asked a thousand questions about the island and what it was like to live there. He asked about the rocks and the heat, the dragons, and finally the queen and what to expect.

"I don't know what to expect anymore. If the rumors that we heard are true than she could be much different than when I last saw her. It has been a few years since I was last here. But if they aren't than she'll be ruthless and very intelligent. Believe it or not, most of the dragons here hate her."

"And she forces them to stay with her ability to control you guys."

The island started to violently shake. Hiccup slipped on the rocks under him.

"What's going on?" Hiccup yelled over the vibrating rocks.

"It's the queen. She's probably just moving around. I don't see any dragons coming out of the mountain, and it's too early in the day for her to call for a raid. So don't worry, she still doesn't know we're here." Toothless comforted. The island stopped shaking and Hiccup could hear himself think again.

"She must be huge to just cause that by moving. I thought you were exaggerating when you said she was as big as a mountain."

Nope. She way bigger than any other dragon that you've ever seen."

"Toothless. I gotta tell you something. I'm so scared. I don't know what to do. What am I going to say or do? I thought I was ready but now that we're here I can't even think straight."

"Don't worry Hiccup. I've said it a million times. If something goes wrong than we'll make our hasty escape and never look back."

"Okay then, I think we should go inside. Better sooner than later." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless again. They flew up to a small hole in the side of the mountain. Hiccup felt that if he even moved an inch that he could scrape his arm, back, or leg against the jagged rock. He pulled himself closer to his mount. In a few seconds the small hole opened up into a giant cavern. They landed onto a small platform near the top where they came in. Hiccup climbed off and looked around. He walked to the edge to peer down into the huge hole that he couldn't see the bottom of. He saw dragons milling around on the other levels. Eating or sleeping, there were a few snapping at each other for a spot to lay down. A heat from seemingly nowhere hit him in the face. Hiccup pulled back and checked to see if any of his hair has been singed off.

Hiccup looked over the edge again and the mountain began to shake again. Hiccup braced himself as he watched a set of three eyes open. They seemed to glow in the darkness around them and focused on him. The eyes quickly seemed to move upward towards him. It was slow but he watched as dragons would push themselves against the wall they were nearest. Hiccup saw a head quickly surround the eyes. The huge dragon climbed up and up almost impossibly. Hiccup backed away from the edge as the dragon got to his level.

"You." A mysterious voice roared in his head. "I've been told about you."

"What do you mean? How?" Hiccup shouted.

"I was told that a human child would take my place. But that the child was special. A child blessed by the gods themselves. And even if I were to fight, I would lose every time. But I think they were wrong."

The queen's claws raked up the side of the mountain, crashing through platforms as it ascended towards Hiccup. Hiccup ran back towards Toothless and hopped on.

"Go! Go! Go!" Hiccup screamed. Toothless screeched out the hole that they had come in through. No time passed before the side of the mountain exploded out, throwing rock and dust into the air. They escaped out of the dust cloud, rocks nipping at their tails. The queen didn't follow them out.

"Where is she?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know." Toothless barely had time to respond as the huge beast of a dragon swiped at them again.

"That was too close. We need to get further away. We need time to make a plan." Hiccup shouted. "Go up. We can try to hide in the clouds." Toothless began to climb into the atmosphere. In the clouds Toothless slowed himself down so that The Queen couldn't hear them, not that she couldn't hear their ragged breathing.

"That. I… We. I don't know what to do." Hiccup panicked. "She, she. I didn't even get a chance."

"Hiccup calm down. You knew that this could happen and now we have to fight or die. So stop thinking about what could have happened and think about a way to fight. Because I don't know about you Hiccup, but I don't feel like dying today."

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. We could use her size against her. If we get her up here with us and uhm, force her to chase us. We could fly towards the ground and hope that by the time she notices how close we are, she can't save herself."

"Okay. we'll do that."

"Wait? You don't have an idea?"

"If this plan fails we can try something else but for now this is what we have."

Toothless dove out of the clouds, searching for their target. He found her and raced past her face. As predicted she started to chase after them. Again they began to climb into the clouds. Toothless made sure that The Queen could keep up with them as they got higher and higher. The group broke through the top of the cloud, allowing Hiccup to see what she actually looked like. Her light, muted green skin and six angry orange eyes staring directly at him.

"Go! Now Toothless!" The sleek dark dragon took a nosedive. The Queen quickly followed. She lost them in the clouds and dust. She followed them by just the sound of the whistling caused by Toothless.

Toothless pulled up, level to the ground. The Queen pulled up as much as she could but still crashed into the black rock. She slid to stop, head hanging in the shallow water of the beach, body broken. Toothless and Hiccup landed in front of her.

"I only wished to speak to you. And now you're going to die. I had no want to take your place. Only a safe place to live." The Queen quietly chuckled to herself as she died.

(AN: Happy Snoggletog everyone!)


	19. Chapter 19

Toothless and Hiccup stood, not knowing what to do. Dragons from inside the mountain slowly climbed out. The commotion over and the ground no longer shaking. The dragons made their ways over the rocks, towards the two beings standing next to their dead queen. Toothless was the first to notice the large group forming behind them. He tapped on Hiccup's shoulder and pointed behind him. Hiccup's eyes bulged out of his head when he saw the horde of dragons. He held up his hands over his head.

"I, I didn't want to. I just, we, we, we need-ed somew-where to stay. She. She wouldn't l-listen."

"Thank you." The closest of the dragons said to him. "I just hope that you're a better leader than her."

"Leader?" Hiccup asked. He put his arms down.

"Don't you remember Hiccup? She told us that we would take over." Toothless commented.

"I don't know how to lead. I could barely keep us alive. How am I expected to keep all of them alive?" Toothless chuckled at him.

"Hiccup we're not in danger anymore, we can move freely and hunt. We could easily figure something out. We're as safe as we ever could be." Hiccup nodded.

"I guess that if We're going to be the head of this place then it's only fair to give them the option to leave." Hiccup said. "As you're new leader I'm giving you the chance to leave this place. I know that many of you have been forced against your will to be here. If you don't want to be here than you can leave. I want this to be a safe place for dragons. Come and go as you please." Hiccup shouted. None of the dragons moved. Many of the dragons looked to others, confused. The dragon who was ahead of the others spoke again.

"Why would we want to leave? We don't know anything about living outside of this place. Many of us don't, don't remember how to live anywhere else." Hiccup didn't know how to respond to them. He looked at Toothless for answers. Toothless couldn't give him anything. Hiccup slowly walked over towards the dragon that had been talking to him. As he reached out towards him, he tightly shut his eyes. Hiccup lightly placed his hand on the dragon's head. He scratched the mixed yellow and green scales.

"Will the dragons here trust me?" Hiccup asked. Toothless rejoined him. Toothless hummed.

"We did just take out their old leader. A leader that forced them to do things against their wills. I think that as long as we improve their lives. Not make them scared of their leader. Hiccup this is like Berk. You're their leader now and you must make these people trust you. Bring them up with you, make them strong. Chief Hiccup. That's what you would've been called right?" Toothless said smugly.

"Don't call me that." Hiccup sniped. Toothless chuckled.

"As you command, my love."

"Don't do that either. You know I don't control you." Toothless brushed against Hiccup's leg.

"That's because there is no need to control me. Blah, blah, blah, bound by love and all that." Hiccup laughed at him. Dragons moved out of their way as the small group moved towards the large hole in the mountain. Hiccup could hear the dragons they pass talking, commenting on him. He grit his teeth as they entered the large cavern. Smoke rose from the hole below them, making it hard to see. Hiccup grabbed onto Toothless' ear so that he could keep track of him.

"How many of you guys live here?" Hiccup asked the yellow dragon. The dragon looked around and outside.

"I don't know." He responded. "Many got caught in the queen's control, and many died in the raids. At one point I could have told you but now, there's no way." Hiccup knit his brow together.

"You seem to know a lot about this place, and what's happened. How long have you been here?"

The dragon lost himself in thought. "It's been a long time. I remember my parents. But not well. They left one day and never came back. Died or flew off somewhere. I've been here for as long as I've been alive." Hiccup gave him an odd look.

"How did you get through it? How did the dragons here deal with her?"

"We all do it differently I suppose. I tried not to think about it. We've all lost in this place. So anything you can do to make this better. We'll take it." The yellow dragon admitted. He looked away, almost ashamed. Hiccup looked at the dragons all around him. Up on the rock shelves, behind him on the beach, and crowded around him.

"Well Toothless, what do we do? How do we make there lives better?" Toothless had also looked around at the dragons that he was amongst at one point. He remembered his time there, before meeting Hiccup. He realized how lucky he was, that he'd gotten out when he did.

"I don't know Hiccup. For now we should find a place to rest. Lick our wounds and tackle this tomorrow when we can think straight." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless' back and pointed up.

"Find us a place to sleep." He said. Toothless jumped up and flew near the top and set down on a small shelf that barely fit them on it. Hiccup slid off his mount and sat down. Toothless pushed his snout against Hiccup's chest.

"Thank you Hiccup." Toothless Shouted, happily. Hiccup giggled.

"For what?"

"For getting me out of here. For shooting me down. For everything. I can't thank you enough and what we did today. Seeing this place again has made me realize that no matter what we would've done, were we would have gone. It was way better than being here. My life is so much better now than ever before. All because of you. Hiccup I owe you everything. There are no words to describe how I feel. I love you."


	20. Chapter 20

The dragons took what Hiccup said in different ways. Some accepted him, and others didn't. Some wanted him to prove himself and others wondered if leaving, finding a mate that wasn't on the island, and living on their own was the right option. Toothless and Hiccup made it their mission to get everyone to where they wanted to be. Their first priority were the ones that wanted to leave the mountain. Many who were unsure about that being the solution for them came as well. Hiccup showed them places that were safe and good for hunting. Places that were generally unsafe since they were the territory of a certain species. The group was learning what to do, slowly but surely. As each dragon became comfortable with living outside they would leave. Many thanked him and Toothless for the help, and confidence.

The next group that they wanted to help were the ones who didn't trust them. Hiccup took the time to talk to each one. Learn their individual fears and concerns with him. A lot of the dragons simply needed more information. Some were just confused on the situation and others were unconsolable.

After all that, Toothless and Hiccup began to set up and make groups of dragons that would do different jobs. Some would fish and other hunt. He had some get wood and other materials that were needed. They had even created a force that was designed to spy on the villages around them. Hiccup wanted the ability to never be caught off guard by people trying to get at them. He reviled in the fact that at least he'd have the element of surprise. Anyone who got in would think that The Queen was still alive.

His plans worked well and many of his dragons told him that they were very happy and surprised that he was such a good leader. Toothless caught him constantly working without any breaks.

"You should slow down Hiccup. You've been working yourself to death."

Hiccup sighed to himself. "I know. But there is so much to still do. But I'm afraid that if we stop now something will happen. We just got all of them to trust us. I don't know if we can afford to lose any of that right now."

"You think that if you stop for one day that them won't trust you? You know that's crazy right? You don't give them enough credit."

Again Hiccup sighed. "I know, I know. I'm just so afraid to take even one second off. I've only ever had to watch after you before. And you're hard enough to deal with." Toothless fell over and whined.

"Ahh. You hurt me so much. I think I'm dying." Toothless shouted. He stuck out his tongue and shut his eyes.

"Oh shut up Toothless." Hiccup laughed. He took a step closer to his dragon and slapped his side, which got him tripped and pulled into a hug.

"Don't hurt me like that again or I'll be forced to do worse next time." Hiccup laughed as he struggled against his mate. Toothless let go of Hiccup so he could get up. Hiccup looked down at his trusty dragon. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. He stepped up to Toothless and tightly hugged around his neck.

"I love you Toothless." Toothless nuzzled into his human's neck.

"You always tell me that." He joked.

"And I mean it every time." Hiccup released Toothless when he saw a dragon patiently waiting for him.

"I have to go Toothless."

"Yeah. I should probably go back to work too." Hiccup nodded and joined the waiting dragon. Toothless made his way towards the edge of the shelf and looked back at Hiccup. Hiccup waved to him as he slipped off the rock. Toothless joined the hunting group at the base of mountain and Hiccup helped with the repairs to the giant hole in the side of their home.

Toothless returned late in the night with his party. They dragged in their haul proudly, lead by Toothless. Hiccup watched him as he showed off his ten point buck. He rolled his eyes before slowly jumping down to them. He walked up behind his dragon and put his hands on his hips.

"I don't know Toothless. That doesn't look very big to me. I don't think that could even feed me." He circled around, acting like he was measure it.

"And you think that you could do better? Look at you, so small. No claws, teeth barely sharper than your tongue. You couldn't hunt even if I wounded your target first. Human. Hiccup took a step back.

"You know that's not fair Toothless." Hiccup whispered. He walked off with his arms crossed. Toothless tried to follow but he immediately lost sight of Hiccup as he was swarmed by dragons trying to get his attention. He tried desperately to get around the horde of dragons asking him where he found his catch and what his technique was. He gave short quick answers that didn't give much information but seemed sufficient enough for his admirers.

Toothless searched high and low for Hiccup but couldn't find him. He frantically asked around to see if anyone had seen him. The fifth dragon he asked told him that they saw him being flown to the mainland. Toothless thanked them and cursed to himself. He flew out of the mountain towards the mainland. He reached his regular hunting grounds at nightfall. He set down and started to search for Hiccup's scent. He continuously belittled himself about it until he found the smell. He followed it a short way but he began to mix with a tangy smell. He recognized it as blood. He tracked it as fast as he could. He could hear whimpering and heavy breathing. He quietly got closer to the breathing to make sure it was Hiccup. Toothless rounded the tree finding Hiccup bleeding and barely conscious.

"Hiccup." Toothless whispered. "Can you hear me." He tried to get Hiccup onto his back but was stopped when an arrow pierced his left front leg.


	21. Chapter 21

Toothless fired a plasma blast in the direction of the arrow. He hit a tree causing it to send splinters everywhere. People popped out from behind bushes and trees. Toothless dodged all the arrows he could but was forced to run away after a few found their marks. He took to the sky as soon as he could. He darted towards his home. As he flew he ran into a woman standing in the air.

"You're supposed to be protecting him." The familiar voice said. "If I knew you'd run from your mate the second there was any trouble, I would have never helped you two."

Toothless didn't stop for her but heard what she said. His blood boiled and the air around him buzzed angrily. He forced himself to move faster. He flew through the hole in the mountain and roared. Every dragon looked up to him. They all felt invigorated and followed Toothless as he flew outside. The dragons followed him and they flew towards Berk.

The people of Berk could hear buzzing in the air. They all knew what it meant. They grabbed their swords and hammers, getting ready for the onslaught. They wait for hellfire to rain down but it never came.

Toothless had the dragons waiting in the forest while he scouted for Hiccup. He get as close to the village as he could without being spotted. He tried to find an obvious building Hiccup would have been kept in. He kept looking until he spotted a small group of people standing in front of something. He circled around to get a better look. He could see something feebly struggling against its restraints. The people around it were throwing things at it. Toothless slowly flew in closer to see what was happening. His anger flared higher when he saw Hiccup's red hair. He dove down causing people to run away and take cover. He landed in front of Hiccup.

"Can you hear me? Hiccup?" Toothless asked. The boy weakly lifted his head to look at who was addressing him.

"Toothless? Wh-where am I? Why can't I move?" Hiccup tried to get out his restraints. " Toothless watch out. Behind you." Toothless spun on his heel and backed up close to Hiccup. Toothless growled unhappily. A large crowd had formed around them.

"Hiccup. Tell them that if they let you go, nothing will happen." Hiccup looked into the group.

"If you let me go nothing will happen." Hiccup said as loud as he could.

"Tell them that I'm not like the queen. I am here to kill them. And I will not stop until you're free or they're dead." Toothless growled again.

"He'll kill you all and won't stop until I'm Safe. Please just let me go. You don't, you don't know what he's capable of. Please!" Hiccup begged. He tried to escape from his stocks again. Stoick stepped to the front of his people with his sword drawn.

"Beast!" The large man roared. Toothless took an aggressive stance. He flared his wings open, making him look larger. The air began to buzz again.

"Tell them to back off Hiccup. I will have the dragons attack. I will not hesitate." Toothless told Hiccup.

"Please dad! Toothless will attack the village. Just let me go and nothing will happen. He's ready to have all the dragons that follow us attack right now. They're just waiting for him to give the order. Please! You'll all die. Don't be dumb just let me go."

The group slowly started to close in on them. Toothless roared, and Hiccup turned pale when he saw the dragons rise over Berk. Hiccup desperately tried to free himself.

"Toothless call off the attack! They'll come around you just have to give them time." Hiccup ordered. Toothless turned to face him and rose up to be at eye level. He looked sad.

"I'm sorry Hiccup. You can tell me that they'll change or that they'll come to understand all you want, but it's been years. Hiccup I can't give them anymore chances. It just puts us all in danger and I can't have that. And I can't have you in this situation again. I won't lose you Hiccup. You're too important."

"Toothless…" Hiccup whispered. Toothless turned around and fired at a few people. Hiccup squeezed his eyes close so that didn't have to watch. His ears rung as explosions went off in the distance. His skin itched as the air on Berk heated up. He wanted to cry but knew it wouldn't be justified. Toothless was right. They had given them too many chances too many days to change. He felt so dumb thinking that his hard headed father would change.

Hiccup felt something land next to him. He opened his eyes, finding both heads of a Hideous Zippleback staring at him.

"Your mate sent us to help you escape." The Zippleback echoed itself. The dragon disappeared from his sight. In a flash he was able to slip out.

"There are others waiting for you. Ready to bring you back to the mountain. Back home." Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Home?" Hiccup asked. The dragon gave him an odd look.

"Yeah. Home." The dragon's attention was drawn away from Hiccup by a villager. Hiccup began to run through the village, seeing dragons and humans fighting every way he turned. He stopped when he saw Stoick pinned down by Toothless.

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted. Toothless looked up to find Hiccup. Stoick pushed the large dragon off of him. "Toothless let's go. You wanted me now let's go." Toothless ran up to Hiccup and offered him a ride. Hiccup hopped on and Toothless shot into the air. He roared for the others and quickly the dragons left.

"Hiccup, when we get back we need to talk." Hiccup could feel a rock forming in his stomach. As they got closer to home he felt sick. Toothless dropped Hiccup off on their shelf.

"Stay here. I'll be back soon." Toothless ordered. Hiccup sat down with his legs hanging over the edge of the shelf. He watched Toothless quickly move around, talking to everyone he could. He soon flew back up with fish in his mouth. He dropped one for Hiccup and ate the other.

"I really messed up didn't I?" Hiccup whispered. Toothless sighed heavily.

"I don't know what to tell you Hiccup. A lot of those dragons down there aren't too happy with you. I'm not very happy with you right now."

"Toothless. I-I'm…"

"Don't apologise to me. I don't need it. I didn't lose my kids today. I didn't lose my mate. I can still look forward to my nights." Toothless couldn't contain himself anymore. "Hiccup I don't know how to describe to you how pissed I am at you right now. You can't be running away like that. Because shit like that happens. I don't care for what you have to say either. People died today and it's your fault. Hiccup you don't have to prove yourself the second someone says something. Especially not me" Toothless screamed. The mountain was quiet. Hiccup was sobbing heavily.

"Hiccup listen to me." Toothless poked Hiccup's side. Hiccup looked up between his fingers. "I don't know what I have to do for you. I always tell you how much I love you and how beautiful you look. I don't know what to do for you. What can I do so that you don't run off and do something reckless? Because I don't lie to you Hiccup. But I will start if it keeps us safe. I don't want that. Hiccup look down there and what do you see? Your people. And your people want you safe. You can't let what people say, get to you like that. And I don't know why what I say gets to you easier. We've been together for how long? And you still can't tell when I'm messing with you. I know what you're capable and you can hunt perfectly well. So I don't know why you had to prove yourself to me. I've seen you hunt. I've seen you fish. You've taken care of me when I'm sick. Cleaned me up when I've shit myself and fed me when I couldn't feed myself. Please Hiccup, I can't do this without you and I almost lost you today."

Hiccup wiped his nose on his arm and sniffled. He moved back from the ledge and stood. He stepped towards Toothless and clung to him. Toothless slowly moved them to their sleeping spot. He set Hiccup down and circled around for a second before laying down. He offered Hiccup his normal spot. The boy quickly took his spot. The dragon wrapped around him tightly and they slept.


	22. Chapter 22

The next day Hiccup woke up alone. He felt around for his dragon but was disappointed when he couldn't find him. He rubbed his eyes and got up. A Deadly Nadder quickly greeted him.

"Where's Toothless?" Hiccup yawned.

"He's gone out with the hunting party." The Nadder replied.

"Did he say when they'd be back?"

"If he told someone, it wasn't me. And I haven't been told by anyone so I don't know."

Hiccup sighed to himself. He began to jump down to the main level of his mountain. He avoided eye contact with any of the dragons he passed and barely said any hellos to them. He met up with his group to continue repairs on the hole. He noticed that everyone was working much slower than usual. He couldn't help but guilty and sick. He got down from his spot and called the group to him.

"Hey everyone." He spoke softly. "Uhm. Take the rest of the day off. In fact, just tell everyone to do the same. I just… I don't." He sighed unhappily. "I'm sorry." He whispered. He walked away stiffly, trying to act normal. As he climbed to his shelf, his hands shook horribly. By the time he reached his home, he could barely pull himself up. He ran to the back and sat. Pulling his knees to his chest. He laid his head down on them.

What happened the night before began to really sink in. He felt hot and had a headache and couldn't stop thinking about the damage he caused. He quietly sobbed into himself.

"Hiccup?" Toothless' familiar voice called for him. Hiccup looked up above his arms. Toothless moved and sat in front of him. "I heard you told everyone to take the day off." Hiccup nodded. "Can I ask why?"

Hiccup put his chin on his arms. "No one was working well. It was slow and obviously everyone is hurting right now. None of them wanted to do anything today. I just thought, if I gave them a break than we can heal. I caused a lot of damage yesterday." Hiccup sighed. "I just don't want to lose this. We fought to get here. We went through so much and now. I don't know what we'd do if something happened. If we had to leave this place. We finally have a home that isn't in danger. And what do I do? Put us all in danger. Get our people in trouble."

Toothless moved next to his mate, allowing him to lean on him. "Hiccup I don't know what you were thinking. And I don't know why you took what I said so seriously. I know that you wanted to prove yourself. But the problem was that you don't have to prove anything to anyone. We lead these people. They look to us for answers. And what do you think it looks like when something like yesterday happens?" Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. "It looks like you're not ready to lead. It's too bad that I know that you are. Right now Hiccup, we just need to show them that we can still be trusted. You're Strong, smart, and very charismatic. It'll be fine."

Hiccup sighed and pushed into his dragon. "I don't feel very strong." He mumbled.

"It'll return. Just give it time. On a happier note we multiply faster than them. We will be able to recover faster."

Hiccup pulled back. "You don't plan to attack them again. Do you?" He whispered. Toothless hummed deep in his throat.

"I hadn't planned on it. Or had even thought about it. Hiccup I will keep my promise to you. I will not attack Berk unless I have a reason to. You are my reason to move forward. And I will do anything to keep it that way. But for now we will recover. And continue to work on our home." Hiccup nodded.

They're days quickly passed and soon the freeze set in.

"Everyone please gather around."Hiccup called. "The year is almost over and we have come a long ways. We've had our highs and we've definitely had some lows. There were days we ate like kings and others we didn't eat at all. But all in all we're doing great. The hole in our home is almost finished being closed up. And I've even heard that many of the ones who decided to move away are doing well too. Overall you should be proud of yourselves. No one could have done this without some help. The trail is still long and for now there is nothing blocking our way.

Tonight the hunting and fishing parties has gone the extra mile. Tonight we feast. And toast to another good year." Hiccup shouted. The dragons erupted with cheering. Hiccup watched as they fled off towards the dedicated eating area. He slowly followed behind the large group.

Toothless snaked up behind his human. "I liked your speech. Short and accurate." Hiccup stumbled but was caught by the Night Fury.

"Toothless!" Hiccup complained. "You startled me. And thank you." He bumped his shoulder into his dragon's. "Do you really think it was that good? I didn't have anything planned. I just said what came to mind and tried to emulate what my dad's speeches sounded like. Powerful and confident."

"Yes, I do think it was a good speech. Did you see how they reacted? They truly believed what you said. As they should. And you're right about us coming a long way. We should be happy. I hope you're right about our future. It would be nice to at least stay the same. We want this to be an escape from the life we had before, not just bring more people into it."

Hiccup nodded. "That would be nice, huh? But you can't say our old place was terrible. Sure a lot of bad memories and some close calls. Right up until we were found by my dad our lives were peaceful. This happened to me while we were there." He gestured to his tail and lightly scales skin. Toothless chuckled at him.

"Of course there were good times Hiccup. But in the end we went through a lot of crap to get where we are. From almost dying, to almost dying, forgetting who I was and who you were, and then almost dying again. So all in all pretty good."

Hiccup laughed. "You're just looking at all the negative. We did what we could and well I think we did the best we could." The two entered the eating area. Joining the rest of their group. They ate well and fell asleep with the rest of the dragons.


	23. Chapter 23

The days blurred into the next. Winter turned into the Spring and the waters around the mountain thawed. Creating the heavy, thick fog that protected the island from being seen. Hiccup and Toothless were out flying. Looking at the only thing that kept the entire world out.

"It's crazy to think that no one has figured out how to get through that. In all the years that Vikings have known this place existed, they've tried to get through. Even though I've been through there multiple times with you I still don't know how you or any of the other dragons do it. Like it's some sort of instinct that I'll never be able to learn."

"You would be surprised that it isn't an instinct. When The Queen was alive and leading the dragons here, she would lead you through it. Young ones can be taught things very easily. So when she would call you, you would not only be told by her what way to go but it was also likely that you would follow someone else in. So you would follow the crowd. Or bad things would happen."

"What do you mean by that? Bad things?" Hiccup asked. Toothless sighed at his slip up.

"Listen Hiccup." Toothless' voice became very serious. No emotion at all. "I wasn't the first to try to betray The Queen. Before I met you there were others that tried and failed to what I have succeeded at. I'm not proud to say that I've been a part of some very sadistic shit. If those dragons were caught normally they would be torn apart and made examples. There was even one who could have gotten away. She was a Change Wing. Able to camouflage herself.

I don't know how she resisted The Queen's calls but I wish I was as head strong as she was. I didn't even try until you showed up." Hiccup pulled himself close to his dragon and laughed.

"You're welcome." They circled around the fog again.

"Anyway, she would hide in the fog and she would attack and kill dragons that would fly threw her area. After some time I was sent after her. It took me an embarrassingly long time to do the exact spot she would strike. When I figured it out, I baited her into attacking me. We had a short fight before I had a chance to tell her that I wasn't there to kill her. She calmed down but was still very tense.

I told her that I was sent to kill her but that I had no intention to. I asked her to leave the fog and get away from the island. I warned her that if I took too long that others would be sent and they wouldn't give her a chance like I did. It was very obvious that she didn't want to leave. I could sympathize with her. We all knew that what was happening was wrong. But we couldn't resist like her.

I asked her about it. She couldn't give me anything though. I wanted to run like she could. Be free. She took what I said and left. I wonder what happened to her ever since that day. I may sent scouts out to see if they can find her." Toothless began to think about where he'd send the scouts to look for her.

"Do you think they would find her? Do you think she'd still be alive?" Hiccup Pondered.

"She was tough. I'd be very surprised if she didn't make it. She's out there somewhere."

"We could head out towards where the Change Wings live. See if they've seen her. That would probably be a good lead for our scouts." Toothless agreed and changed their course. They landed in an area with high stone walls and jagged rocks. They began to move slowly through the passing.

"What are you doing here?" A snake like voice asked. Hiccup looked around for where the voice was coming from.

"Where here looking for someone." Hiccup responded.

"Who?"

"She was a Change Wing that used to serve under The Queen. We have information that would be useful to not only her but all of you." Toothless said.

"What information?"

"The Queen is dead!" Hiccup shouted. The hidden dragon showed himself and climbed down to them.

"Dead? Why should I trust what you say?" The Change Wing asked cautiously. Hiccup puffed out his chest.

"Because we lead the dragons there now." He said matter of factly.

"You lie." Hiccup shook his head.

"We killed her ourselves." The dragon gave them odd looks.

"I still don't believe you, but I'll bring you further in. You'll be able to talk to our alpha there. Hiccup and Toothless followed closely as they were brought through the treacherous landscape. They came into a clearing.

"Wow." Hiccup whispered as he looked down on the on the horde of different colored change wings. He watched a few smaller ones pounce on each other. Toothless placed his head on Hiccup's shoulder. He saw what he was looking at.

"Makes you wonder why the humans hate us doesn't it?" He hummed. Hiccup leaned his head against Toothless' and sighed.

"This way, you two." The dragon called to them. The small group went down a small winding path. Near the bottom the other Change Wings started to look at them.

"Will they attack us?" Hiccup worried.

"We've given them no reason to attack, other than coming into their territory."

"That's not reassuring Toothless."

"It'll be fine. Trust me." Dragons began to circle around them and poke their heads out. The group stopped and the Alpha showed his face.

"Why are you here, Night Fury? And who is that with you? They look like a human."

"We're here looking for one of your kind. A female who used to serve under The Queen. If she returned here it would have been a few summers ago. I know that isn't much to go on, I apologise." Toothless said.

"Why are you looking for her?" The alpha asked.

"She was an inspiration to me. I wanted to thank her, and ask her to come back to Helheim's Gate with us."

"If she is here, I will not send her back there. That 'Queen' of yours is a monster." The dragon who lead them, whispered in the alpha's ear. "Dead?" The dragon nodded then whispered again. "They're the alphas of that place now?" Again the dragon nodded. "How did The Queen die?"

"We killed her." Toothless said proudly.

"But from what I heard you were the most loyal to her cause. Her most used tool and weapon."

"I can't deny what you say. Her hold on me was great. Unbreakable. It was only when I met my mate that he could break me free. He showed me a new way to see the world. He's changed my view forever. I am forever in his debt." Hiccup gave him a sideways glance.

"You're so dramatic ." Hiccup laughed. Toothless nuzzled into Hiccup's hip.

"You love it."


	24. Chapter 24

"Enough!" Yelled the Change wing Alpha. "What are you? You're like nothing I've ever seen." Hiccup shied away. Embarrassed of what he was.

"He's my mate." Toothless defended. Why does it matter what he looks like?"

"He's just very odd looking is all. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that he looks like one of them." The Alpha backed off.

"It, it's fine." Hiccup mumbled. "You've never seen anything like me because I'm the only one of me. I was born of the wrong species. We were told how it happened, and I was given the chance to become as close as I could to what I'm supposed to be. I was born human. With a dragon's soul. I cannot be what I'm supposed to be. But I was given the skin and tail. Teeth and insides. But this is as far as it goes." He looked down at his feet. Staring at the curved, razor sharp claws growing out of his toes. The Change Wing chuckled.

"My father's, father used to tell us stories of things like you. I never believed him. I owe him an apology. You are the first I have seen like this though. The ones who said they were like you never had the odd features you do. Sharing the traits of both species. Why are you like that but the others aren't?"

"I don't know anything about that. We were told about our situation but nothing else. If there were others like me, I know nothing about them."

"Hmm. Well I suppose it doesn't matter. But back to why you came. I don't know what the female you're looking for looks like. I will allow you to move around my territory freely. If you find who you're looking for bring them to me. I simply want to see them off. If you do or don't find them please come back here before you leave. I would like to personally investigate your claim of the Queen's death. I will be leaving with you." Toothless nodded and Hiccup hopped on his back.

"We'll search for the rest of the night. And come back here to bed down. We'll search again tomorrow but if we don't find her we'll set off the next morning." Toothless said. The alpha nodded as they took off. They went high above the jagged rocks and trees. Taking a few minutes to circle the area, looking at the land the Change Wings controlled. They began scouting the area. Looking for groups of the dragons to talk to. Toothless described what the female looked like as best he could. Having trouble giving enough detail to distinguish her from the rest. Before they knew it the sun had set and their day was over.

As promised they returned to the valley they were brought to. They found a spot against a rock face that was empty and laid down. Toothless and Hiccup chatted about their plan for the next day but were distracted by the dragons watching and talking about them. The Alpha uncamouflaged himself on top of the rock they were against. Hiccup yelped and Toothless stepped over him, bearing his teeth.

"Sorry that I startled you like that." The Alpha apologized. Hiccup climbed from under Toothless and stood, brushing dust from himself.

"A little warning would have been nice." Hiccup chuckled. He pat Toothless on the head calming him.

"Well I came over to see how your search went." Toothless laid down again watching the eyes watching him.

"Our search turned up nothing so far. We did have a chance to talk to some but not many. Hopefully tommorow will be better." Hiccup responded. The Alpha looked down at Toothless and looked at what he was.

"Don't worry about them Night Fury. Many of them are probably wondering if available for mating season." Toothless looked back at Hiccup to watch him react to that. As he expected, Hiccup pushed against him more and began to rake his claws against Toothless' scales. He chuckled deep in his throat.

"They'll have to go through him. So I don't think I'm available to them. He won't allow it." The Alpha wanted to test their closeness.

"Is that true, halfling?" Hiccup was watching the Change Wings closely. He was breathing heavily through his nose.

"I'd kill anyone who wants to take my mate from me." Hiccup growled.

"You sound very confident."

"Why shouldn't I be? You work best in groups and rely on ambushing prey. In a head on fight you're limited on what you can do. Because of how your body is shaped your claws are almost useless unless your prey us right under you. The big antennas on your head are easy to grab and likely hurt when they're pulled on. But, it's not all bad, your acid spit is very dangerous even though it gets weaker as you get older but not enough to say it's useless. And your ability hide yourselves plus your agility makes it hard to keep track." Hiccup listed. Toothless smiled smugly to himself.

"Well, well. That's quite the observation. How'd you figure all that out?" The Alpha asked.

"I've been obsessed with dragons my whole life. Believe it or not, Vikings do take some good notes. But rarely do they ever us them. I'm not going to go into my past but I like to watch and observe. If the notes we had were good than mine were amazing. Highly detailed with drawings and notes. Knowledge is my best weapon and it's got me through more than it should have."

"So I suppose that you know a lot about more than just my species than?"

"We have quite a few different kinds of dragons in our charge. Part of being an Alpha where we live is learning how each species interacts. Asking and learning who works best with who, who works best alone, who are good scouts, hunters, fishers. What species like being intermingled with others, what ones like to stay to their kind. So watching and learning is something we must do to make living in Helhiem's gate easier for everyone." The Alpha sat silent for a minutes, taking in what was said. He stood and jumped from the wall down to them.

"I'll make sure that no one bothers you two. Good night."

"Good night." Toothless and Hiccup replied.

"Well that was out of character. Is something wrong my love?" Toothless asked concerned.

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry about that. I just… When he said that some was going to take you from me, I, I don't know."

"Have you had that thought in the past?" Hiccup looked away, embarrassed.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't. You get along with everyone. I see you playing with the others after you come back. You look really happy. I'm not questioning your loyalty or anything, it's just hard not to get those thoughts." Toothless dropped his head on Hiccup's shoulder.

"You're my one and only. A decision I made knowing full well what I was doing. You're worrying for no reason. Besides we were meant to be together. You heard the story." Hiccup sighed happily. He moved his dragon's head off of himself and laid down against him.

"Good night bud." Hiccup yawned.

"Night Hiccup."


End file.
